Southwest Iowa Crop Report: September 19, 2012

Corn harvest is well under way in West Central and southwest Iowa with moistures running 14-20 percent. Yields are not as good as we had hoped in some situations while they’re surprising good in other areas. I had the shock of my life on Wednesday afternoon when a producer called after harvesting his LH 6058 VT3 PRO along I 29 south of Sioux City. Knowing yields were all over the board I wasn’t expecting to hear he got 264 dry bushels per acre. Yes, 264! Come to find out, there was a strip about 2 miles wide that didn’t miss a rain this summer. His crop definitely benefitted from timely rains.

Other areas were not so lucky and are seeing yields run 80 to 130 bu/A on rotated ground and 60 to 90 in corn on corn situations. Although these are not tremendous yields, they’re better than nothing.

Producers need to get out of their combines and check field loss. In several areas, field are greening up with 2-3 leaf volunteer corn. Follow your gut, not the book: slow down harvest speeds and slow down the fan a little. Trash in the bin will save bushels going out the back. Check your tailing and make proper adjustments. Remember that 3-5 bushels on the ground from ears not being shelled completely or blowing corn out with too much air adds up to $24-$40 an acre!

Contact your local Latham RSM with any questions you might have about how to protect your crops and maximize yield potential: southwestiowarsm@lathamseeds.com

September 14, 2011

Cool days with abundant sunshine and clear, cool evenings creates awesome conditions for many of us, but the corn plants are telling us they need a bit more heat to finish this crop up with dry down. Although we are starting to see the corn husk flare, we still need the warmer weather. Corn is 28-35% moisture for the most part and there wasn’t much dying this past week. Soybeans are heading for the bin in a hurry. In western Iowa, Latham® Hi-Tech Soybeans L2560R is showing 30-40% defoliation.

Now is the time to start planning for the 2012 crop. Start by evaluating your existing hybrids in field. Do a pinch test near the base of the plant to determine stock quality and what fields may need to be harvested earlier than others. Perform your own yield calculations and write them down in your planter book next to the hybrid planted in that field; then carry that planter book with you in the combine to compare the monitor to your estimates. These two very simple steps will help you make the more serious decision later.

This is also the time of year to take some visual notes for the 2012 crop. This will be helpful once again for these notes to be placed in your planter book and to refer back to these notes during the harvest process. Keep track of the lower-yielding areas of your fields, so that possible corrections can be made before 2012 planting.

There is a ton of pressure on producers to get this crop to the bin and the best advice I can give is go slow and be safe.

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September 7, 2011

Over the past week, soybeans have really begun to show signs of maturity. Last Thursday I was in a field of Latham® Hi-Tech Soybeans L3268R2 near Salix, Iowa, when Mark Grundmeier spotted a 5-bean pod. Based on the number of four-bean pods we’ve seen, there should be some good soybean yields out there. Corn continues to progress nicely, and we’re starting to see many fields with drying husk. Corn that was planted between April 25 and May 5 looks awesome! Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6396 3111 planted May 3 is 18 kernels around with 36 kernels long for a final ear count of 30,000 and a projected yield of 228 bushels per acre. Now we all know that there is some time to pass before that will hit the bin, but there are 200-plus yields. Unfortunately, corn planted before April 20 in western Iowa seems to have been hurt the most by the hot summer days and nights.

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August 31, 2011

Western Iowa and northeast Nebraska has had its fair share of rain over the past two weeks. We got another generous ¾ of an inch of Sunday. The corn crop is moving along very well with several producers chopping silage; corn is testing at 70-75% moisture, which is perfect for cutters and the livestock that will consume it. Unfortunately, the southern two tiers of Iowa counties are not so lucky. A severe hail storm rolled through on Aug. 22, completely killing mile after mile of the corn and soybean production. The storm stated east of Red Oak moving south by southeast all the way to St. Joseph, Missouri. Soybeans are well on their way to putting up some very impressive yields this fall. Third cutting of alfalfa is complete, as well as second cutting of spring seeding. Producers are spraying for potato leaf hoppers and with a favorable fall a fourth cutting.

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July 6, 2011

Unfortunately, crops in the area were beat up last week from high winds. Soybeans are into early r1 stage. The corn has rebounded and is now at V7, V8 stages. Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6396 3111 is looking great, and it handled high winds of 70 to 80 MPH. Latham® Hi-Tech Forage LH 9000, which was seeded this spring, produced 3.5 half bales an acre.

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June 29, 2011

Most corn is in v6 to v7. Soybeans are in v3 to v4 some into R. Unfortunately, crops went from good to bad on Sunday night when high winds caused green snap.

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June 1, 2011

Corn planting is 98 to 99 percent complete with seedlings having 2 or 3 leaves. Soybean planting is 85 to 90% done with seedlings at the V stage. Weather has been stormy with 1 .5 inches of rain this week, but it’s been warm and humid. Alfalfa is 10% bloomed but first crop has not yet been cut as farmers are waiting for weather to improve.

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