Harvest in Full Swing 10/7/2010

SCHMIDT, FAWCETT, ANDERSON

Posted By: Mistina Christner (email)
Date: 7/5/2018 at 09:37:10

Source: Iowa City Press Citizen 10/7/2010

Harvest in Full Swing

Crop yields showing mixed results
By B.A. Morelli

Harvest means long days and missing kids' soccer and basketball games, said Ben Schmidt, 37, a rural Johnson County farmer who spends these days driving the combine over his corn and soybean fields.
But it's also a time to discover the bounty from spring and summer, he said. And while yields are down from last year, weather conditions for harvest have been ideal, he said.
"It's been great being that it's been so nice," said Schmidt, whose farm has been in his family since before 2875, or at least five generations. "The fields are dry, so you don't have to worry about getting stuck. It's a drastic change from last year when just the opposite was true."
Many farmers harvest their fields from September until winter. For Schmidt, he began Sept. 14, and if conditions continue, he could be complete by late November, he said.
Blue skies and dry ground make pleasant fall days for farmers, but Schmidt and other farmers are finding mixed results in their crops.
"The corn is a little disappointing because of the good planting conditions we had and the good start we had, but then again, it's not a disaster by any means," Schmidt said.
A promising start to the planting season gave way to a cool, wet spring and a summer that stayed too warm at night, said Schmidt and others involved in the local agriculture industry.
"The yields have been pretty variable because of wet weather (earlier in the year), said Jim Fawcett, and Iowa State University Extension-Johnson County field agronomist.
The cool, wet spring manifested in a fungus that led to "sudden death" in some soybean crops, and some corn crops developed disease late in the season because of wet weather, he said.
Fawcett estimates corn yields are down about 10 percent in east central Iowa. He has not received enough feedback to make an estimate for soy, he said.
Yields depend on the topography of the fields.
Schmidt has rolling fields with some creek-bottom grounds and pond areas that never recovered from a wet spring, he said. During the summer, the temperature didn't hit extreams during the day, but also didn't cool enough at night to allow corn kernels to develop, he said.
Schmidt's corn yields are about 160 bushels an acre, which is about 20 bushels down from last year, while he is getting about 55 bushels and acre in some areas for soybeans, which is about 10 percent more than last year, he said.
Jerry Anderson, a regional manager of Iowa Farm Bureau, said farmers are reporting mixed results. Many crops in flat fields drowned, while crops in rolling hills are exceeding expectations, he said.
"What you are going to hear is some places that are pretty good and other areas that are not so good," Anderson said. "It will be worse then last year. (But) hillside ground is really going to outperform itself. That is typically not where you expect to have your best yield."
It is too early to tell what this harvest will mean for consumers, Fawcett said. Prices have jumped around and will vary based on grain prices and yields, he said.
Farmers can expect some savings, though, Schmidt and Fawcett said.
Ideal conditions this fall likely will shorten the amount of time and labor needed to complete the harvest and will cut down on drying expenses, they said.
Last season, some farmers didn't complete their harvest unitl spring, Fawcett said.
"The harvest should be done much sooner this fall. Last year wasn't done until spring. In a way, we'd almost like to have one rainy day so farmers get to take a break. They might appreciate a break," Fawcett said.