Farmers and crop producers are out in full force with harvesting corn and soybeans.

Greene County ISU Extension Field Agronomist Mike Witt tells Raccoon Valley Radio there are lots of combines in the field right now and it’s mostly because the weather time period is about as perfect as it needs to be for harvest season. He talks about the good quality of soybeans being harvested in Greene County.

“The reason for that is because again we got moisture early in the season and again some later. However, there is a rapid dry down period occurring. So understanding to go out early in the morning and make sure the dew is off the soybeans and get your crops harvested and get them out before we get late afternoon in case we might have shatter or any of those things that might be occurring.” 

Witt adds corn fields are not being harvested as quickly as soybeans, due to some fields not yet matured to the point to be combined. He shares his thoughts on whether or not soybean yield potential could be as high as the record numbers that happened last year.

“What I have seen this year, actually, is an increase in variability. There are very good year I’ve heard reports of 70-80 bushel soybeans yields in Greene County, I’ve heard of those. There are also some that are going to be less than that. Now with those scenarios in there that moisture that you got early or later rains have really been the catalyst for some of that yield variability across the area.”     

Witt notes that harvest season is staying pace with the five year average and compared to last year, harvest season started quite a bit earlier than normal.