Northeast Iowa by Nick Benson
We received 1½ inches with the last system, so we’re currently rained out again. We’re about 20% done on soybeans and are just getting started with corn harvest. I’ve seen a lot of mold (Cladosporium and Trichoderma), but most of it is on a surface level and shouldn’t result in any dockage. Some early yield results shw L2440R2’s as the bean to beat and L2085R is still a rock-solid performer. Topping what data we have seen from this scant corn harvest has been LH 5376 VT3 and LH 5494 3000GT. Both of these hybrids have been doing very well and doing it in style with great late-season integrity.
Keep an eye on stalk strength as this weather and timing of harvest is going to create a “perfect storm” for rot. Choose fields to start harvesting with this in mind. Many growers are getting concerned about getting the beans out. With all of the moisture in field, we will have to make sure to drop the corn head and get these beans before the snow does!
Follow me on www.twitter.com under “lathamcornguy” for up-to-date information as it comes in this fall.

West Central Iowa by Travis Slusher
Much of my area saw 2+ inches of rain on Thursday, bringing the field work to a halt again. There were some beans harvested Tuesday and Wednesday at 14% moisture. Much of the northern part of my area has all but completed soybean harvest with the southern part still having a significant amount of bean harvest yet to do. Most farmers have resorted to harvesting corn at higher moistures than they would like in order to get something accomplished during this difficult stretch of weather.
It looks like we may have 4-5 consecutive days of decent weather, beginning this weekend, which would be very much welcomed.

North Central Iowa by Kevin Meyer
It’s the same old story for North Central Iowa: WET. Monday and Tuesday were the only two days of activity in the area. Very few soybeans were harvested due to high moistures, so the focus moved to corn. Corn harvest has been slowed due to wet field conditions and increased drying time for this crop. Concerns and conversations have focused on some mold and other ear damage. Overall, corn yields remain good with above normal moistures.
Hopefully, this weather pattern will break and we will be able to continue with harvest next week. As producers make seed decisions for next year, make sure not to use this year as the “normal” growing season. When picking products for your operation, consider the right traits, genetics and technology along with disease and yield characteristics to maximize your profit per acre.

South Dakota by Bill Eichacker
We had three days of good harvesting weather before rain set in again. It will be next week before harvest continues. Moisture levels are a problem as these rain patterns continue.

Northern Iowa by Tom Larson
Wet weather continues to slow harvest. I’ve been able to get a few corn plots harvested in between the rain drops. Along with some of the new VT3 and Smart Stack combinations, the Agrisure 3000 GT hybrids are yielding very well. As a reminder, all plots will be posted at our website, www.lathamseeds.com.

Minnesota by Jason Obermeyer
Wet, wetter and wettest! Little to no field work was done this week. Corn test weight is lower than average with cases of mold being found frequently.

Eastern Iowa by Brad Beatty
Rain, rain and more rain. My area is very wet. About 50% of the soybeans have been harvested, and 15% of the corn is done. Soybean moisture is running 15% or more while corn moisture is running 23 to 35%. I get calls every day with customers wanting to know what to do with this high-moisture grain. We can’t afford to wait any longer. Our drying days are gone, and we must get the crop out. We could be looking at snow soon, and the stalk strength is not good enough to support the wet, heavy ear and snow. Combine the driest corn first and the poor stalk quality corn next.

Northwest Iowa by Bruce Anderson
Field work got underway a couple days ago and now it’s all wet again. Farmers did get in a couple afternoons and evenings, which was just enough to finish up the soybeans for some. Beans are still yielding mostly in the mid 50s, with some at 60 and above. Some were combined at 17% moisture and others were down around 14.5 to 15% moisture. Corn continues to be on the wet side to put it mildly. One farmer said his corn was 26% Oct. 13, and two weeks later, it had dropped down to 21%. Looks like next week farmers will have another chance to get out there and get some more acres finished.

Central Iowa by Bob Collins
I guess the big news is rain… again. There are quite a few beans left in the field around here and the corn is running pretty high in moisture. I got my corn plot done on Wednesday: LH 6068 VT3, LH 5896 VT3, and LH 5585 SS took top honors. Look for my plot results on www.lathamseeds.com.

Wisconsin by Steve Bailie
Many growers are still waiting more ideal conditions to harvest beans. The 7-day forecast calls for rain on Thursday and Friday but then dry for 5 or 6 days. Clear weather is needed to wrap up soybean harvest and to give their corn a chance to get below 28% moisture.
Many growers have started to harvest their corn even though moisture is in the mid-20s to mid-30s in some spots. With the rains keeping many producers out of the combines, it’s given them time to go with me into their fields and look at the difference in ear intactness and stalk quality. In many corn fields this week, we have found molds starting to be a problem in the ears. This is not making it easy for producers to sell their corn to any terminals. Test weight has been proven over and over to be low this year; many are coming in at 52- to 54-pound tests.
Keep a close eye on corn put in bins at 25% and above moisture. We’ve had a few growers in the southwestern part of the state put higher moisture corn in the bins, drying it down to adequate moisture. However, growers who do so must pay attention to hot spots and make sure there are no spots in these bins that have started to sprout. It many mean more routine checks in bins this fall.

West Central Iowa by Travis Slusher
Again this week more RAIN. We saw 2+ inches across my region.

Before all of the rain, last week and early in the week we were able to do some harvesting. We took out a corn plot in Dallas County that averaged 19.8% moisture on corn ranging from 108- to 115 days. Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6598 VT3 topped the plot at 280.2 bushel/acre (bu/A) adjusted to check with a 55-pound test weight. LH 5896 VT3 came in at 270.5 bu/A on gross yield at 19.8% moisture, and LH 6068 VT3 looked extremely good with complete plant intactness and superior standability.

For the most part, the northern half of my area has progressed well with bean harvest and has started on the corn. Meanwhile, the southern half of my area has hardly started where moisture has been high across the board and ground conditions are less than favorable.

Let’s hope that Mother Nature gives us a break soon and strings together some good days of weather in order to get the ground conditions adequate for equipment and harvest as the fall season is growing short.

Northeast Iowa by Nick Benson
Follow me on twitter under “lathamcornguy” for up to date information as it comes in this fall.

Right now we’re still in a waiting pattern due to the weather, and many of the farmers are getting very anxious. Now is a good time to get out and check stalks for stalk rot to prioritize for harvest. Areas that hit by hail have smutted up and are infested by mold, so make sure to protect yourself from the harmful mold spores when we do get into this corn. We will be harvesting wet corn, but at least it appears that there will be a lot of grain to handle.

South Dakota by Bill Eichacker
Rains have been prevalent throughout my region, and with continued rain in the forecast, it will be a while before harvest will start again. Ethanol plants are paying a premium for dry corn and most elevators are adding additional dockage on 14%-plus moisture soybeans. A few dryers have burned drying soybeans. Be careful when drying soybeans. Keep the temp below 95 degrees and watch for any buildup on the continuous flow dryers. Also, farmers are finding hot spots in their air flow grain bins and build up on the sides. Pay close attention to stored grain this fall.

North Central Iowa by Kevin Meyer
North Central Iowa again experienced a very wet week. We only had a couple days of harvest with marginal conditions at best. Soybeans are being combined at higher than normal moistures. Caution will need to taken as high moistures soybeans are being stored and air dried. Soybeans treated with a fungicide have shown a 10 bushel increase in side-by-side comparisons. Corn continues to be harvested as conditions allow with moistures remaining higher than normal. Current estimates are soybeans are 50% harvested and corn is 20% harvested to date. Fall fertilization has slowly begun along with some fall tillage as conditions allow. This is shaping up to be one of the wettest and coolest Octobers on record.

West Central Iowa by Bart Peterson
Beans are 80% to 85% done and corn 10% to 15% done. I know corn is wet, but check for stalk rot in your fields. That may determine when to combine your field.

Wisconsin by Steve Bailie
The weather has proven to be very difficult this fall. Many growers were able to harvest only a few days this week. Even then they were pulling beans out at 15-17% moisture and putting them in the bins to dry before hauling them to the river. A few plots were able pulled out and the GenuityTM Roundup Ready 2 YieldTM Soybeans outperformed the RR1 technology. Many growers are excited to see what these new beans will do to increase their bottom line.

In corn this week, a number of growers pulled their high moisture corn out and put it into silos. Many large grain farmers are being pushed to harvest corn at moistures in the mid-20 percent for fear of running out of days without snow. Corn yields in Wisconsin have been very respectable given the challenging year that we have gone through. Many yield monitors in the southern part of the state are reading 180 to 220 bushels to the acre.

East Central Iowa by Wayde McNeil
Beans are 40% harvested and corn is maybe 5-10% done. It’s been raining again, so we had 2.5 days in the field this week.

Minnesota by Jason Obermeyer
Harvest progress is slow at best. With another round of rain the past two days – with no signs of improvement over the next four days – it appears that we could be harvesting corn on Thanksgiving Day. Of the very few bean plots that have come out, L2085R are having a fantastic year again and are leading the charge with L1983R doing well also.

North West Iowa by Bruce Anderson
Not a whole lot of harvest progress to report this week, but I do think 70 percent of the soybeans are harvested and about 5 percent of the corn is out. We had a real soaker Wednesday that will end all field work for this week. Still hearing yields in the mid 50s to low 60s.

Eastern Iowa by Brad Beatty
Soybean harvest is about 50% complete, and corn harvest is about 20% complete. Neither crop will dry down. A lot of people are putting beans in the bin and blowing air to get them dried down.

Nebraska by Brian Banks
Harvest has been nearly non-existent this week as cool, cloudy, wet weather set in. There are still a lot of soybeans to be harvested, and we have only scratched the surface on corn. The northeast part of the state received about 4 inches of snow and central Nebraska has reports of up to 12 inches this week. It feels more like January than October. Guys were able to harvest last weekend and some initial corn yields are looking very good. Stalk rots seem to be showing up more and more. Fusarium seems to be the most prevalent but there are a few fields with bacterial stalk rot. I have not looked at any fields with lodging problems, but I hope the weather dries out so corn harvest can start moving forward.

Bob Collins saw a 7.34 bushel, or 11.20%, yield advantage with the new Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM Soybeans over the original Roundup® Ready varieties that he planted. On Oct. 13, Bob harvested his Latham® Super Strip test plot just east of Nevada in central Iowa. Two of the 14 varieties in his plot were RR2Y soybeans and those two varieties placed first and second.