The 2012 crop was generally better than many people thought it would be. Many customers thought I was crazy when I estimated their yields before harvest. When their yield monitor confirmed it, they couldn’t believe it! In some cases, the actual yield was even better than my estimates.

What the 2012 crop proved was the importance of spreading your risk by planting a minimum of three or four different hybrid numbers. Different flowering dates can help reduce yield loss due to heat during pollination. For example, in 2011 early hybrids were hurt worse in particular areas. Planting later hybrids worked well in some areas this year because dry down wasn’t a problem. Other years are the exact opposite where hybrids don’t want to dry down and the earlier products can really pay off. There are a 1,000 variables that affect your net yield. Because there are many things that play a role in the final outcome, it’s best to just diversify our seed portfolios including soybeans.

Last week’s rains were welcome, but too bad it came with high winds. Rain fell from North Dakota all the way down to Sioux Falls, with reports from .6” to 2 inches. Corn yields this year are looking the most promising where fields have been in a wheat or soybean rotations.

While checking fields this year, it’s apparent where the rain fell and where it didn’t. Crops on the wet, heavy ground is holding in there while crops on the rolling hills are burning. As you walk fields, note which ones are the most stressed and make them first priority at harvest time. Corn-on-corn fields look the most stressed, and corn following wheat stubble looks the best. From Chamberlain and south, the crops are really variable.