IP Crop Network, November Report

This monthly feature from SSGA’s Agronomy Action Team highlights growing conditions for Identity Preserved crops from different regions around the country. Thanks to the states/regions that contributed this month. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with David Kee or Shane Frederick. You should also follow David Kee on Twitter for some of the latest, most-interesting information on agronomy and research that affect IP and other farmers.

Illinois
What a fall!

For most of Illinois, the harvest weather has been absolutely fantastic. Until the rain on Oct. 25, many growers had been running for 25-30 straight days with no weather breaks in between.

The crop overall can be summed up in one phrase: “Corn was better than expected; beans were a bit disappointing.”

The early beans – both maturity and planting date – were better than the later beans due to the dry August. Early, full-season beans did have some yields of 70 or more with a lot of them catching 60-65. The later-planted and double-crop beans really took a hit from the dry weather, as fields that had potential yield of 60-plus ended in the 35-45 range, mostly due to extremely small seed size and some pod abortion in the driest areas. A lot of beans were cut at moistures well below 10%, which could be an issue for seed quality as Illinois has a significant footprint of seed production from all of the major seed companies. Time will tell, as the first germ/quality tests are just now being run.

Early planting intentions for 2023 look pretty flat compared to 2022. Most growers are talking similar corn/soy splits as to what they planted this year – at least for now.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 8 harvest was around 90% complete across the state with many growers turning their attention to fall tillage, land maintenance and fall fertilizer applications. Fertilizer prices have remained flat to spring prices with no downturn even being mentioned. The low water levels on the Mississippi River at St. Louis are causing some anxiety around grain shipments as we head into the end of the year and the big January-February grain push. Hopefully some significant moisture will fall soon, and barges will begin loading at 100%.

Michigan
Harvest of the 2022 Michigan soybean crop is getting close to finished in early November. NASS had estimated harvest at 77% complete as of Oct. 31. A few more good harvest days in November have allowed that number to reach into the 85-90% range as of Nov. 8. There have been a few widespread delays due to rainfall this year, but harvest conditions have generally been favorable. Grain moisture and quality have been good to excellent, while field conditions have allowed equipment traffic without significant compaction or ruts.

The dry conditions in many areas of the state have caused yield loss, especially on soils which have reduced water holding capacity. Other growers have commented on the resiliency of soybeans to perform well even with limited rainfall.

While record high yields are not making many conversations, a mention of yields being higher than expected is common this fall.

Minnesota
Minnesota is dry, but predicted rain is hoped to ease drought concerns. If fall rains do not restore soil moisture status, 2023 planting will prove to be interesting. According to the drought monitor, about 52% of the state is rated moderate to extreme drought (D1-D3). In the Nov. 7 USDA Crop Progress report, topsoil moisture supplies were rated 63% short to very short, 37% adequate and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 58% short to very short, 42% adequate and 0% surplus.

Crop harvest is all but complete in Minnesota. Corn silage, small grains, edible beans and soybeans have been largely harvested. Sunflower and sugar beet harvests are near completion. Corn grain harvest is proceeding rapidly with 92% harvested by Nov. 6. Grain moisture has been sufficiently low that grain drying is limited in scope. Early on, soybean harvest was slowed due to excessive green stems and morning dews reducing harvest speeds.  Some farmers are concerned about future crop volunteer issues in 2023 due to excessive harvest escapes. Farmer yield reports vary from “drought impacted” to “well above average.”

Field work, soil sampling, tillage, manure and fertilizer applications, etc., continue. Soil temperatures have been excessively high, limiting fall N fertilizer applications. With the recent drop in soil temps (below 50^oF), nitrogen, as well as P and K, fertilizers are going down. There is a great concern expressed as to input availability in the spring and input price uncertainty remains a concern.

Missouri
Over the past month, we have seen a push by our Missouri producers to harvest. Some were praying for a rain to allow for a bit of a slowdown. During the end of October, we did have some moisture come to us, and we would hope for more to replenish the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. As we look at the grain movements of 2022/23, we can hope for more rain to raise our river basins and give our crops a way south to the mouth of the Mississippi.

Currently, corn harvest is 90% completed. The Missouri soybean crop removed from the field is 86%. Our cotton crop is 92% picked. The winter wheat crop is 83% planted, and winter wheat represented as “good” is 53% ,with 57% emerged.

North Dakota
The soybean harvest is completed in North Dakota. According to the NASS report, the soybean harvest was 99% completed for the week ending Oct. 30. That is ahead of 94% last year and 82% for the five-year average. Yields are about average, maybe above average in the Red River Valley. Crops are coming off in good quality and moisture.

Drought conditions continue in North Dakota because we have not had rain since August or September in many areas. The majority of North Dakota is under moderate to severe drought, according to USDA’s drought monitoring map. We may receive some precipitation this week.

Note: To see state Crop Progress reports from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS): click here.