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| Mike Hommez, of Croplan Genetics, checks out the corn in the area at a field day last week. He says the upcoming weather will determine the results of this crop season and its success. (News-Tribune photo by Mary Loden) |
Farmers prepare for big harvest
By MARY LODEN, Of the News-Tribune
There isn't a farmer in the area that would argue that 2008 is definitely a worrisome year for crops.
Many of the fields got planted late because of rain, the summer has been unseasonably cool and heavy rains in June drowned out up to 10 percent of the corn crop, causing a late season replant.
Calculating yields right now is anyone's best guess since the corn crop is at least two weeks behind schedule, or more in some areas of Winnebago and Hancock counties. “They're looking okay, but don't look superior to what we're used to the last two years,” said Randy Broesder, Farmer's Co-Op Elevator manager in Forest City. “August was short rain and our nights are pretty cool to mature crops. The beans, in two to three weeks, are probably ready to harvest but the corn may take another five to six weeks. The maturity is behind. It has continued to be two weeks behind all season and it didn't get real hot where we could play catch up.”
Broesder said around 8 percent to 10 percent of the corn acres had to be replanted in Winnebago County and some of those were replanted with soybeans, which are still green and nowhere near maturity.
Along with getting replanted late soybeans took another big hit this year. It seems like everyone replanted to some extent. A lot (of corn) was replanted into beans (in Hancock County) so it never got sprayed for weed control or bugs,” said Kevin Propes, agronomist for North Central Co-Op in Hutchens and Woden. “This was a huge aphid year. It was unexpected. The trend has been we haven't had to spray in even years -we sprayed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 - but every field, except those planted in corn, got sprayed this year.”
Propes said many farmers who chose to replant soybeans over corn did so with the hope of getting at least a half-crop out of them. They figured they could get by without spraying because the risk of aphids was low. It turns out they were wrong and the replanted beans won't amount to much.
For those farmers who replanted their fields back into corn aren't too worried about those yields because they should be able to file an insurance claim.
With all that said, Propes said he anticipates 175 to 200 bushels of corn per acres, especially where it is good, but overall he doesn't expect high yields.
Broesder agrees with those estimates. “Currently yields are expected at 45 bushels an acre for beans and over 165 bushels an acre for corn, which is down from last year,” he said. “Corn is down between 15 to 20 bushels and soybeans are down five.
Last year was exceptional. This year we're probably getting more normal yields than way above.”
“This year it is good, but it is wet. Time is running out unless we have an unseasonably warm October. The way it's been it's the kind of year for disease to set in such as stalk rot and anthracnose, which is a concern right now because it's been a wet year up until August and it's been cool,” Propes said.
Last week North Central Co-Op held their Plot Day, an opportunity for farmers to meet with the Co-Op's seed partners and an opportunity to evaluate first hand which hybrids work the best on different soil types.
“We try to provide a pool of genetic diversity so farmers can evaluate risks to reduce crop failure,” Propes said.
Mike Hommez, of Croplan Genetics, whose parent company is Land of Lakes, commented that this year's crop is a mixed bag depending on what part of Iowa a farmer was from.
He said corn in North Central Iowa, which saw replanting and planting late, didn't pollinate until the last week of July and normally there are 55 to 60 days from pollination to black layer, the point where corn kernels are fully mature and separate from the cob and are normally at 30 percent moisture level.
However, a couple of hybrids in the test plot, which should have reached black layer by now, are still at milk line, the stage where the kernel is still accepting nutrients from the cob and is very wet.
“It all depends on the weather now. We need more days like last week, warm and sunny, for them to dry down to 15 to 16 percent. The further out into October we go the rate of drying down lessens,” Hommez said
To further complicate matters there are different maturation stages for both corn and beans in the same fields. “The replanted corn and beans will create a problem at harvest. Farmers will have to harvest some and come back and harvest the rest later,” he said.
This is also the time of year when farmers start thinking about frost, which usually occurs within the first few weeks of October.
There is typically no worry from frost for corn that has reached black layer, but for later maturing or replanted corn that is only at half milk line farmers could expect up to a 5 percent loss with a light frost and up to 15 percent loss with a heavy frost.
For beans the quality and quantity will both be less Hommez said.
It doesn't help farmers much this year but Hommez said a good money strategy is for them to, “diversify genetics to reduce the risk to what Mother Nature throws at you, what with our rainfall and weather patterns.”
Economically farmers are at a crossroads. “Input costs are up a lot, it is narrowing the profitability a lot,” Broesder said. “Costs haven't come down with the prices (of corn) lowering because globally there is a demand for inputs.”
“We have become a bit spoiled by the late summer/early fall weather the last couple of years. Corn has matured and dried down quickly, requiring little or no artificial drying,” said Iowa State University Extension crop specialist George Cummins.
However, this year is a different story.
“LP gas prices are up dramatically this fall and increased drying costs should be anticipated,” Cummins said. “LP requirements vary from 0.01 to 0.025 gal/bu/pt but in Iowa average about 0.018 gal/bu/pt. If LP costs $2.10/ gallon and it takes 0.02 gallons, the LP cost alone would equal $.042/pt or $.42 to dry 1 bushel of corn 10 pts.”
Steve Schlichting and his father Wayne Schlichting, farm around 700 acres in the Britt area. They said this year they planted about 70 percent corn and 30 percent beans. As they listened to Mike Hommez talk about corn genetics and maturity they both agreed that their cornfields are not even close to appropriate black layer, and that was corn planted on time.
Their profit margin is still looking good for this year because their inputs were bought a year ago Steve said. But with the huge increase in price this year for inputs next year's planting has them a little worried, especially since, “we'll see less yield this year ‘cause a lot of our corn was drowned out and replanted.
“Drying is the worst it's ever been. The corn is late and gas is high - it's a double whammy,” Steve said.
Story created Sep 23, 2008 - 09:17:32 CDT.
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