Harvest is full speed ahead throughout the country. The Oct. 12 Crop Progress Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service states that 41% of the nation’s corn crop and 49% of soybeans are harvested. Corn conditions are listed as 15% excellent, 45% good, 25% fair, 10% poor and 5% very poor. Soybean conditions are listed as 13% excellent, 46% good, 27% fair, 10% poor and 4% very poor. Reports from Stine regional sales agronomists (RSA) are also funneling in. Here’s what our RSAs are saying about crop conditions and harvest progress throughout the Midwest, Delta South and more.
RSA Jason Ashley, Region 1, central Minnesota
Corn and soybean harvest has been in full swing for several weeks in my region. While central Minnesota was hit by the drought this summer, some timely rains have been beneficial to the farmers. We are seeing some extremely good soybean yields this year. My largest growers, who farm 9,000 acres of Enlist E3® soybeans, have indicated that this is their best soybean harvest ever; this is something we are very proud of! We are seeing some very good yields on our corn as well, but the farther north in my region you go, the more the drought affected yields. Our corn in most areas seems to show good drought tolerance and standability.
RSA Mike Eckels, Region 8, central and northeast Missouri
Region 8 is 60% done with corn, with Stine brand 9808E-20, 9746-20, 9734-20 and 9728-20 doing well, especially with all the rain we had in some areas. Plus, small areas of drought.
On the soybean side, they are about 40% done, with Enlist E3 soybeans looking very well on yield. They’re also the cleanest of the fields. Varieties that have shined on yields are Stine brand 36EA02, 36EB20, 39EA02 and 40EB22. The later maturities are still in the fields but look good. With the variable weather conditions this summer, overtreatment of soybeans has paid off this year in Missouri.
RSA Jake Anderson, Region 12, western Illinois
We’re about a month into harvest. The weather has been beautiful, and a lot was getting done up until last week when we started getting rain. The off-and-on wet weather has put soybeans on hold, but some areas are still running on corn. Tar spot pressure was the worst we’ve seen yet in this part of Illinois, which led to early maturation/death of corn. Fungicide paid big this year. I think corn yields, in general, are off by 15 to 30 bushels compared to our optimistic expectations but are still for the most part satisfactory. Adequate moisture during the growing season has resulted in excellent soybean yields across most of the region. Reports of 75-to-80-bushel soybeans are common. The forecast looks good going into next week!
RSA Kevin Krabel, Region 13, central Illinois
Harvest was in full swing in Region 13 until some rains came through recently, which have slowed things down to a crawl. I’ve talked to a lot of growers who have all their corn shelled and are just waiting to cut the rest of their soybeans. Yields for our Stine Enlist E3 soybeans have been impressive. I’ve fielded multiple calls from dealers and ISRs telling me that their grower(s) told them these soybeans are the best they have ever grown! Stine brand 31EB02, 34EA12 and 36EB32 soybeans have been leading the pack. We are still waiting to hear how some of the later group 3 beans turn out, but we are expecting them to perform great. Yields on Stine corn have also been positive this year so far. The 9808 hybrid lineup (-0, -G, -20) continues to do well in our area.
RSA Kevin Ryan, Region 14, Delta South
Corn and rice harvest are basically done in both Arkansas and Louisiana. Yields are good to very good. Growers are still impressed with Stine’s -G hybrids, including 9808E-G and 9709-G.
Early soybean yields are outstanding, and we are proving that the neighbor-friendly Stine Enlist E3 soybeans will yield compared to any Xtend or XtendFlex® soybeans.
RSA Todd Oliver, Region 27, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma
In the southern part of the region, harvest has been over for about three months. Dryland yields were average for us. Harvest is wrapping up in the central part of the region and in full swing in the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma. Irrigated yields have been good, running about 250 to 300 bushels/acre on corn. Soybean yields in Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas Panhandle were good with a couple of fields in the 85 bushels/acre range.
We will start planting the first week of January in the Rio Grande Valley and February for the Coastal Bend. Land prep is underway. Acres are still up in the air due to very high cotton prices.
To learn more about how Stine products are performing in your region or to learn about next year’s corn and soybean lineup, contact your local Stine sales rep.