Nebraska by Brian Banks
Harvest is just getting started in eastern Nebraska. Spotty rains have kept a few people from starting, but in most cases, the beans are still a little too green. There has been some activity on high-moisture corn and silage, and farmers were happy with those results. If it doesn’t rain this weekend, harvest will take off next week.

Central Iowa by Bob Collins
Harvest started in central Iowa before the rains came again. Bean yields range from 53 to 70 bushels/acre. One of my customers said his silage was about 10% better than last year, so it seems that our yields are going to be very favorable.

I would say that the side dressed corn looks better, and growers who applied a fungicide said it was very beneficial due to the late-season diseases that developed.

West Central Iowa by Travis Slusher
The crops are looking great in my area, and guys are excited to get the harvest season started. A few soybeans that were taken out yielded between 50 and 60 bushels/acre. We have yet to take out any GenuityTM Roundup Ready 2 YieldTM Soybeans, which are looking extremely good when compared to the RR1 planted alongside them. Only a few farmers have taken out some corn; I heard their corn was running 260 b/A at 24%. The corn needs some more time for dry down but guys are getting anxious.
Silage chopping is done and the last bit of hay is getting baled. If the weather cooperates, next week the machines will be rolling hard in my area.
I talked with a dealer in northern Dallas County who had just completed a field of L2658R that went 61 b/A at 12% moisture. The soil type varies greatly on that field from good to poor, so on average, the soil type is fair. He was very pleased with those results, so I’m eager to hear how that variety yields on his better soils.

Eastern Iowa by Brad Beatty
The light rain we received at the end of the week should help the beans and corn mature. No one has yet combined either crop; farmers in my area are chopping corn now.

Minnesota by Jason Obermeyer
Some early bean harvesting has begun with yield reports varying from low 40s to low 50s. Harvest will spread out more in the latter part of next week barring moisture events. Now is the time to check your corn fields. While doing some yield estimates this week, I have found some instances of severe stalk rot that certainly can lead to harvestability issues. It’s better to have corn wet and in the tank than dry on the ground.

Wisconsin by Steve Bailie
Some parts of the state have begun harvesting. A few southern parts of Wisconsin cut beans this past week. In south central Wisconsin, a grower harvested our L2085R beans and the field ran 70 bushels/acre. Meanwhile, it will be another two or three weeks before farmers in the other parts start beans. In the northeastern part of the state, there are areas that have not had moisture for a critical period of time to fill bean pods with beans. There are many pods with only 1 bean counts due to lack of moisture.
Many local farmers are starting to gear up for high moisture corn, as well. Some of the fields that were hit by the hail in mid-July are dying off and are dropping ears. In many cases where this is happening, the corn has 24-28% moisture. While this is not favorable moisture, they are still starting to combine since the ears are starting to drop.
Alfalfa is pretty much completed for the year. Many farmers who are going to kill their alfalfa for a new rotation are starting to do so this past week between the rains.

Northern Iowa by Tom Larson
The last few weeks have really magnified the stress and disease that some corn and bean fields have been exposed to. There have been fields shutting down prematurely due to lack of moisture and various diseases. Stalk quality in corn is another area of concern. As the fall winds start to blow, be ready to harvest corn at a little more moisture to prevent dealing with lodged stalks. As always, please make safety your primary concern this fall.

North Central Iowa by Kevin Meyer
North Central Iowa received some much needed rain this week. At the time of this report, rainfalls of 3.5 to 4 inches are typical in the area for this week. Some soybeans were harvested last weekend. Yields have been reported in the range of 45 to 60 bushels/acre on a very small amount of harvested acres. It’s a little too early to establish an accurate yield trend for the area. Corn harvest is much the same with scattered fields being opened up in the area. Early comments are that yields will be similar to a year ago with a little more variability across the field than a producer would like to see. Harvest will be in full swing as soon as field conditions allow.

Northwest Iowa by Bruce Anderson

Things are moving along quite well in northwest Iowa. Dealers and farmer-customers are telling me their beans are ranging from 41 to 61 bushels/acre (b/A) with mostly around the 50 b/A mark. Areas that made 60 b/A last year are coming in the 50s this year, so it just depends whether your fields were in the right spot when the rains fell.

Northeast Iowa by Nick Benson

The crop here is progressing nicely. Most of the corn is at black layer with some later planted fields still at milk stage. The overall weather has been relatively favorable to drying, and it still looks like we are going to miss all threats of any freeze damage. Silage harvest is around 50% complete and soybean harvest is about a week away. There has been a lot of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and white mold in our region; this is going to be the main drawback to what appears to be a very solid bean harvest. I have been looking at plots this past week, and a few hybrids in particular look exceptional. I’m eagerly awaiting yield results to verify what I’m seeing in the plots. As soon as I get the yield data, I will pass it along.