Extension Crop Reports from Across the State - UNL CropWatch, Oct. 14-18, 2013

Extension Crop Reports from Across the State - UNL CropWatch, Oct. 14-18, 2013

October 14-18, 2013

Tornado-damaged corn field

The leaves and ears were sucked off many of the corn plants in this field near Wayne when a tornado swept through the area Oct. 4. Look closer and you'll see that many of the stalks are still standing tall and a hay bale is still intact despite the tornado. Nearby a center pivot irrigation system was overturned. (Photos by Keith Jarvi)

 OVerturned pivot

Tyler Williams, Extension Educator in Phelps and Gosper Counties: Most of Phelps and Gosper counties received 1.5-2.0 inches of rain on Monday, which put harvest at a stand-still. We had had good harvest weather for about seven days before the rain, which allowed nearly all of the beans to be harvested and dry corn harvest to begin. About 95% of the beans have been harvested and 15-20% of the corn had been harvested before the rain. Most of the wheat is up and any thoughts of planting more wheat were put to rest after the rain. The forecast looks to keep things cool (we had our first frost this morning) with little chance of precipitation. If we don’t get any more rain (or snow), harvest should begin in the next day or two. (Oct. 16)

Gary Zoubek, Extension Educator in York County: Producers were making good progress with harvest until Sunday/Monday.  We received 1.80 inches of rain in York over the two days (Sunday/Monday). We are at about 3.5” for the month of October or about double our normal rainfall. This should help with refilling our soil profile. I’m guessing that 70-75% of the bean’s have been harvested and 25-40% of the corn. Much of the seed corn has been harvested. Yields are variable but overall better than what many have expected. (Oct. 15)

John Wilson, Extension Educator in Burt County: Combines were going fast and furious over the weekend in anticipation of rain coming on Monday. We probably have 80-90% of the soybeans harvested and are just getting a good start on corn, with maybe 15-20% completed. Yields have been excellent with few soybean yields below 50 bu/ac and an occasional report of soybean yields topping 70 bu/ac. Soybean harvest was tough with many fields testing around 10% moisture, but green stems slowing harvest. We received 1.5-2.5 inches of rain Monday which put all harvest operations on hold until the field conditions improve. Some areas of the county have had more than 7 inches of rain so far in October, almost four times the average monthly rainfall, and we’re only halfway through the month. This has put a damper on harvest conditions, but improves the outlook for moisture reserves going into the 2014 growing season.(Oct. 15)

Monte Vandeveer, Extension Educator in Otoe County: With favorable weather harvest made good progress last week. Soybeans are probably 60% harvested, corn less than 10%. We had 1.3 inches in the rain gauge from Monday (10/14) so growers will have to wait a couple of days to get back at it. (Oct. 15)

Jim Schild, Extension Educator in Scotts Bluff County:  Rains limited field activity to only four days last week. Growers pretty much finished dry bean harvest in the area and were making good progress on sugarbeet harvest. Less than 5% of the corn is out. (Oct. 14)

Keith Jarvi, Extension Educator in Dakota, Dixon, and Thurston Counties: We are receiving heavy to moderate rain over most of northeast Nebraska today. While this is most welcome in the long term, it will shut down harvest for two to four days. (Oct. 14)

Tom Hunt, Extension Entomologist, Haskell Agricultural Lab, Concord: I just drove a loop in northeast Nebraska from about Wayne to Sioux City, and did a 60 field/crop survey. Soybean harvest is 73% complete. Corn is 7% harvested. (Oct. 14)

Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator in Platte County: Soybean harvest is 90-95% done with yields above expectations. Corn harvest is 15% complete, mostly of high moisture corn and silage. Not much has been harvested for grain — it's too wet. Yields expected to be and reported good. Growers are finishing the last of hay harvest. Pastures — when managed well — look good; when over grazed, not so much. (Oct. 14)

Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator in Nemaha County: With excellent harvest conditions last week, harvest continued at an excellent pace. Soybean harvest is about 75% completed with corn harvest getting a good start and probably 20% completed. Fourth cutting of alfalfa is complete, with some fields going into wheat following soybeans. Pastures generally look good. Farmers that had cover crops either planted after wheat or flown on have gotten favorable stands with the rains we have received the past few weeks. In general I hear that fields of both corn and soybeans are good to excellent and overall much better than last year. (Oct. 14)

Gary Stone, Extension Educator, Panhandle Research and Extension Center: Moisture the last three weekends has been hard on the dry bean harvest.There are a few dry beans left to be harvested, but it will be tough getting them out — there will be quite a bit of shatter loss. We're receiving more moisture today, so sugarbeet harvest may stop or slow down until it dries out, same for the corn harvest. There has been some high moisture corn as well as silage taken out. All of the winter wheat should have been planted by now and quite a bit of it is up. I have seen a few dead cattle in Sioux and Dawes counties, but not nearly the numbers they've had in western and southwestern South Dakota. We still have some snow in the draws and coulees. The high winds last weekend left a lot of downed tree branches. The forecast is for high winds later today and into Tuesday with temperatures expected to drop below 30 degrees Tuesday night. (Oct. 14)

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A field of corn.