Scott Mandernach of Mandernach Seeds in Odebolt, Iowa, was a bit skeptical of the hype surrounding the new Genuity^TM Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM Soybeans from Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. Then he harvested them and saw a 12-bushel advantage.

“I hadn’t ordered a single unit of the Roundup Ready 2 soybeans before harvest,” Scott said. “Then I saw the yield difference. I called my RSM from the combine and said, ‘I’m ordering a bunch’.”

The Mandernach farm in Sac County usually raises 50-bushel beans, but this year yields ranged from 58 to 60 bushels per acre (bu/A) even on the conventional soybeans that were planted beside the RR2Y soybeans. Scott’s soybean plot was split between two fields: one minimum till and one no till. Both conventional and RR2Y varieties were planted May 17 in both fields in 15-inch rows at a population of 185,000. They were harvested on Oct. 17.

“I was really impressed with the new Roundup Ready 2 soybeans,” said Scott. “They yielded 72 bushels per acre. In the 22 years that I’ve been farming, there’s only one other time that we even saw yields close to this. I’m convinced this new technology is the way to go.”

West Central Iowa by Travis Slusher
My weekly crop report is becoming a broken record: cold, damp overcast weather. When the weather was fit for field work, we only had about a day’s worth of running. Farmers near me woke up Saturday to about two inches of snow covering their crops. A few farmers were able to run Sunday afternoon, Monday afternoon and some on Tuesday before the weather idled them again.

We need 4 to 5 days of good running to get most of the beans done. Farmers have opened some corn fields with moisture ranging from 17.5 to 25 percent. Early reports are that some Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids are running in the 200+ bushel range before moisture adjustment. Haven’t had many complete fields of corn harvested to get a more accurate idea of overall yield performance.

South Dakota by Bill Eichacker
There has been no significant progress last week in our area. Rains have kept most farmers out of the fields. We will have a break this weekend through Tuesday. Everyone is chomping at the bit to get out, but moisture levels will still be too high for some to harvest.

Eastern Iowa by Brad Beatty
We have about 15% of the soybean crop harvested and 10% of the corn harvested at this point. Soybean yields have been running from 55 to 65 bushels per acre at 13 to 15% moisture. Corn is running around 170 to 220 bu/A with moistures very high, between 25 and 35%. We’re all hoping for some sunshine and wonder “where the global warming” is. We have seen some snow and sleet already this year. Fortunately, most crops were mature enough when the frost hit late last week so I’m estimating only about 5% of the crops will suffer some yield loss because of the frost.

North West Iowa by Bruce Anderson
Patience is running thin in northwest Iowa as farmers are only getting about two hours a day to combine beans before drizzle, rain or snow sets in again. Yields continue to amaze farmers as they’re higher than expected. We’re hoping to get this bean crop in the bins next week. Test plots are starting to come out, so if you have one out or know of somebody that does, please forward your results to the Latham office.

Northern Iowa by Tom Larson
It is the same old story this week, with wet weather dominating the headlines: WET, WET, WET.

As a result, I’ve been asked many questions about late-season diseases and grain quality. The biggest concern with soybeans is the field loss due to pod quality. As the soybean swells in the pod, it weakens the pod integrity and continuous swelling followed by drying out results in fragile pods. When harvest resumes, please be aware of this and run your reel as slow as possible to minimize shattering the pods. Some farmers are harvesting their beans at higher than normal moisture just to get them out of the fields. They’re then using air and or heat to dry them out. This is a high management situation, so if this is part of your plan, please monitor the condition of the beans regularly!

There are also a number of issues that affect the corn in a wet environment. If your hybrid exhibits more of an upright ear at dry down, the husk can act as a funnel for moisture and literally fill the ear full of water resulting in severe damage (Diplodia Ear Rot and Fusarium) and greatly reduced grain quality. There are also some stalk rots that will affect the standability of the corn in the field.

The key to this fall will be flexibility to harvest the crop as conditions allow.

Wisconsin by Steve Bailie
Many growers are getting a little worried about getting the entire crop out this year as we’ve had another slow week for harvest. Over the last seven days, our state has received a mix of snow, rain, clouds, and very little sunshine. These weather conditions pushed many growers to harvest their corn before their beans just to gain on the process. Plus, a few bean were harvested even though the moisture was a bit high. Beans have been going anywhere from 45 to 65 bushel per acre, so many growers are very happy with these yields.

The one upside is that the weather has made it a little easier for growers to sit down and do crop plans. I’m enjoying talking with growers about the opportunities we have to get them the absolute best yields for 2010 harvest.

North Central Iowa by Kevin Meyer
Another wet and cold week in the North Central Iowa area has again slowed harvest down to only a couple of days. I am estimating only 35% of the soybeans have been combined in the area. Yields remain good with a side-by-side plot averaging 60 bushels per acre on Tuesday. Corn continues to be harvested as conditions allow with moistures ranging between 20 and 33% when it’s brought into local elevators. Dry down and stalk quality are discussion points for producers in this area as we move into the last half of October. Keep safety in mind as the weather improves and harvest continues.