By: Donovan W. Mann – [email protected]
Humboldt, IA – Local agronomist says a drier growing season will affect this year’s harvest yield and timeline as the crops start to be brought in.
Fall is here and for many in the community and across the state it is time to begin harvesting their fields. Local Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Agronomist Angela Rieck-Hinz talks with KHBT about what farms could expect when harvesting this year’s crop.
The agronomist says that harvest has already begun and is a little earlier this year due to two factors. Rieck-Hinz says “harvest is happening and it’s happening a little earlier than usual based on to two things.” The first factor in the early harvest is due to the farmers planting earlier this year. The second factor is the dry and warmer weather during this year’s growing season during the summer. She that the warmer summer can “push the maturity” of the corn and soy beans while the drier weather can cause the plants to “shut down a little bit prematurely.”
Rieck-Hinz says the summer’s weather can have a negative effect on the crop yield. She says an estimate on the yield is not something she can predict because of many factors include rain fall can vary from location to location and soil moisture levels going into planting varies heavily as well. There is also very little harvest data for this year because the season just began. The agronomist says it is really hard to estimate right now and the yield impact will really be on a “farm by farm basis.”
The drier weather will also play a role and what farms should prioritize this harvest as corn stalks grow a little weaker. Rieck-Hinz says that farmers really need to prioritize their corn this season to avoid corn going down. “That just makes harvest that much more challenging.” She says that most soy beans in this “neck of the wood” are standing well with very little falling. The next thing farmers will be looking for is the dryness in the crops to avoid having to pay for moister removal following harvest.
As the farmers continue to harvest their crop this fall Rieck-Hinz says she hopes they all have a successful and safe season in their fields.