It’s been a long haul for farmers this year as harvest season wraps up.

Landus Cooperative Field Agronomist Zach Minnihan tells Raccoon Valley Radio Greene County’s harvest is about 99-percent completed, with just a few acres left. He says yields for soybeans and corn continue to have great discrepancy, with soybeans having 50-60 bushels per acre and corn with 100 bushels per acre swings. He points out corn has matured well this year, and driving more production of the kernel.

“When we have those cooler temperatures we’re able to pack in as much starch as possible into that kernel as possible, and increase those test weights. So a lot of guys are seeing the biggest test weights out of their corn that they’ve seen in a long time, 55-60 (pounds). If we’re around that 60 pound mark, that’s a good size test weight, and we’ve had a lot of that this year.”

Rippey-area farmer Pete Bardole says it’s been a struggle this harvest season, with several factors pushing harvest further back than an average year.

“We’ve had wetter falls, but it’s just moisture that’s stretched it out. I’ve been hearing a lot of people dealing with wet corn and that just takes longer, you’ve got to dry it. And there’s always equipment problems, and we’ve had our share this fall.”

The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report shows corn harvest is ten days behind last year and two weeks behind the five-year average.