IP Crop Network: October 14 report

Harvest is going strong in the upper Midwest. Many soybeans are completely harvested, and farmers are getting ready to switch over to corn harvesting. With the current U.S. government shutdown pausing USDA reports, we’d like to extend a special thank you to our farmer and industry contacts for providing their harvest updates for this week’s report.

In Wisconsin, soybean harvest is rapidly nearing the finish line for most producers. Yields are overall running well ahead of last year but likely near a record in the northwest area. Harvest weather has allowed nearly nonstop harvesting, but soybeans have been much dryer than the standard 13% with many in the 8-10% range over the past week. Kidney beans and black bean harvest is also nearly finished with good yields. The dry weather has made skin checks a concern and producers have had to manage accordingly. In the northwest, October has only registered about a half inch of precipitation. Season ending frost has only been sporadic and some areas are wishing for some cold weather to end the growing season. Cover crops are being planted on many acres and winter wheat seeding is completed with emergence just beginning on most acres. Corn harvest is just beginning with moistures rumored to be from 18-24%. Corn yields are highly dependent on disease pressures of rust, anthracnose and tar spot.

Figure 1: Average temperature (F): Departure from Mean (Oct. 1-13, 2025)

One identity preserved (IP) farmer in Minnesota finished combining natto beans about two weeks ago. He reports that field conditions were nice and the quality of the natto was good. Moisture was around 11%. October’s above-average temperatures have accelerated soybean harvest across Minnesota. Over the past two weeks, temperatures have been 2 to 10°F above normal (Figure 1), enabling rapid field operations. However, hot afternoon conditions have lowered soybean moisture levels to 8–9%, forcing farmers to adjust their combines several times a day to prevent harvest losses. As temperatures cooled last week, soybean moisture improved to 12–14%, leading to smoother harvest conditions. Harvest is now well ahead of schedule in central and southern Minnesota and progressing steadily in the north.

Our farmer reporter in Michigan is almost done with their soybean harvest. Overall, they have yielded about average due to the small bean size stemming from lack of rain in the late summer. Soybean harvest for that farmer should be fully completed by Wednesday and will start corn harvest immediately after. Most of his neighbors have been harvesting but still have quite a few acres to go.

In North Dakota, soybean quality appears to be very good this year in all areas. About 75% is harvested and yields are variable. The early frost experienced on Sept. 6 and 7 appears to have affected yields more than most people thought and is leading to below average yields across North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Wisconsin and southern Minnesota regions are having above average yields on their food grade soybeans.

SSGA’s IP Crop Network is published twice a month, highlighting growing conditions for identity preserved crops from different regions around the country. The reports include both firsthand accounts and data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) weekly Crop Progress reports.