Corn

Not too much on the plant development side has changed this past week. Corn yields still look extremely positive, with kernel set looking good. As long as this crop black layers, it is setting up to be one of the highest yielding years we have had. (See Farms.com yield estimates below).

If you compare plant development to the past 5 years, it would seem the crop is late. Overall, we are still within a normal year's timeframe as we continue to accumulate heat units.

Our agronomists have not yet seen signs of vomitoxin or gibberella, but are keeping an eye out since corn canopies have been so wet. Luckily, since cobs this year are so large, they are often breaking through the end of the husk on the corn, not allowing moisture to get stuck inside, and keeping the corn cob drier. This minimizing the potential for disease pressure as their breeding ground is compromised. Our agronomy team has however seen signs of anthracnose on corn stalks, as well as a little tar spot. Although we have been hearing lots about tar spot the last few years, what we have seen so far should not effect yield potential at this point, especially in what was sprayed.

Soybeans

Soybean yield potential remains high for crops that have survived the heavy summer rains. During field walks, we have been seeing many 4-bean pods which is always a very good indication on positive yield.

Some of the beans we are walking in are showing signs of SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome), and some growth beans have white mold. At this point, there is nothing we can do to fix that, but we recommend talking to your agronomist about how to manage this through crop rotation.

Weed escapes have been a challenge in crushers and IPs. We starting to gear up for pre-harvest burndowns. If you are thinking you may want your field to be sprayed, please be sure to give us a call to get put on the list. We want to help you all avoid grading discounts at the scale for any issues with weed staining or wheat see dockage! Additionally, just a reminder to IP growers to be mindful this harvest of dirt tag. Heavy dews at dusk or dawn can stain the beans with dirt tag. Growers will have to be mindful of moisture when taking the crop off to prevent any downgrades!

Jason (519) 330-9746

Darrin (519) 330-9812

Natalia (519) 383-4843

Mike (519) 466-9200

We are in the midst of completing IP soybean contracts. If you have IPs in the ground, you can expect to get an email or phone call over the next few days/weeks (if you have not already), to clean up the final few pages of the contract before we get into the thick of harvest. 

We want to assure all of our customers that our Alvinston elevators will be operational (post-storm) for soybean harvest, and we look forward to serving you!

Wheat

Wheat seed season is in full swing. This year, we will have Blaze SRWT seed in bulk, as well as a new C&M wheat variety called Swoop. Swoop is known for the same yield potential, but more straw!

We are also treating wheat seed this year. Please call early to get on the list for cleaning and treating seed!

In preparation for new crop, we are getting our facilities ready for harvest time. This includes cleaning up off farm wheat and old crop soybean loads that want to move before new crop soybeans come off, and emptying many of our bins on site. Please call us to arrange movement on full or part-loads of either of these commodities so we can help your operation be fully empty prior to this coming harvest. The closer we get to soybean harvest, the premium between old crop and new crop beans will continue to converge.

Variable rate spreading and straight rate spreading of fertilizer has been a challenge due to the weather. As soon as things dry up, we will keep things rolling ahead of harvest. In the meantime, if you have not already, we encourage you to get your plans for fertilizer application lined up before harvest! It is not too late to soil sample! We get results back within a couple weeks, and fertilizer plans can be tailored for your needs based on those results!

Additionally, fall burn downs are right around the corner. Get your field clean, and keep it clean going into the new growing season!