Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reports that 19% of the corn and 38% of the soybeans have been harvested statewide as of Oct. 5. While this year’s corn harvest is about one week ahead of the average, it’s more than four weeks ahead of last year. Only 18% of Iowa’s soybean acres were combined at this time last year, and this year’s soybean harvest is slightly ahead of the five-year average of 37 percent. (Source: IDALS news release)
North Central Iowa
Clear skies in Northwest Iowa have allowed everyone to make remarkable harvest progress this week. Tom Larson has been harvested the majority of his Super Strip replicated strip trials in both corn and soybeans, so look for the results to be posted soon on www.lathamseeds.com. Tom is receiving call after call from customers sharing their success stories this fall with Latham® products. Latham® soybean genetics, combined with the Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 YieldTM technology, continues to dominate. Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans L2440R2 has been a particular standout: two checks by Osage, of two acres per check, resulted in 79.9 bushels per acre (bu/A) and 82.2 bushel per acre yields!
South Dakota
Combines are taking out both soybeans and corn in Bill Eichacker’s territory, and farmers like what they’re seeing from Latham® products. One new Latham® soybean brand, with Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 YieldTM technology, yielded 70 bu/A by Beresford, S.D. In a soybean plot by Hills, Minn., another Latham brand averaged over 60 bushels even after receiving hail late in the season and L2440R2 produced 65 bushel per acre. By Olivet, South Dakota, a corn plot averaged more than 200 bushels per acre with LH 4508 VT3 going 218 bu/A at 16.4% moisture.
East Central Iowa
Brad Beatty reports that harvest is progressing quickly in his eastern Iowa territory. Soybean yields have been a pleasant surprise with Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans L2658R, L2635R and L2740R performing solid again this year. The best corn yields have come from fields in which farmers side-dressed extra Nitrogen earlier in the growing season. In fields were there was a shortage of Nitrogen because of too much rain, corn yields suffered.
South Central Iowa
Soybean harvest is in full steam thanks to the nice stretch of weather over the last seven days across South Central Iowa. On Monday, Bob Quinn from WHO Radio rode in the combine with Nick Dawes’ on his farm near Adel. Nick’s field of Latham L2984R2 soybeans ended up yielding 73 bushels per acre on across the 142-acre field. Most producers here are seeing soybean yields from the mid-50 bushel range to the high-60 and low 70-bushel range on whole-farm yields. This area didn’t see as high levels of SDS as the producers in the northern part of Travis’ area saw, which brought their yields down in the mid-40 to low 50-bushel range. Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans appear to have handled the SDS pressure much better than many of the competitors’ products in this area. Producers here will wrap up soybean harvest this week and switch to corn.