From the Fields: Crops get a timely drink

The heat moved in on us and hasn’t let up. Up until now we lucked out and haven’t seen many 90-plus degree days, let alone multiple days in a row. Seems like things really sped up and started to either die or change from growth mode to dry down mode rather quickly. I think some of the beans on the hot sand and gravel bars got some top-end yield taken off of them. For the most part, the corn is still in good shape, but we are seeing signs of stress and plants dying before they are actually mature.

We were blessed with a few nice rain events this past week. Two big storms rolled through our area, which resulted in a little over 1.5 inches on most of our fields. We really needed a good last-minute rain to get the first-crop beans over the edge, so they could hold on to some pods and actually fill the beans, which should equate to that top-end yield we are hoping for. The damage was done in some areas, but overall we caught a good chunk of beans at the right time before they ran out of gas to finish off rather than die and begin to dry down. Corn is still holding its own and looking great. I’m always anxious to see it black layer, so I can do some yield checks and see what we have to work with. I think the test weights should be good with all the water we had throughout the growing season to help fill all those kernels up.

I got the opportunity to ride down to Fort Branch research station on Friday with our LG rep to look at new corn hybrids with the team agronomist. I’m a total nerd when it comes to looking at corn and beans in real growing situations. I love seeing the plants characteristics and getting my hands on them to really evaluate what a hybrid has to offer a grower. I feel it’s so important when you go to sell seed to a fellow farmer you know the product and even if they have never seen it with their own two eyes you can describe it in a way they can relate it to on their farms.

I want to know if something is going to work for me before I actually go and tell someone else to plant something. The placement and matching the farmer’s style to a hybrid is the secret to a successful partnership with a seed adviser. I’m also amazed at looking what is coming down the pipeline for future genetics and traits we will have in coming years. The folks down at Fort Branch do a great job for the whole LG organization and it’s always great to see what they are working on.

I hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of summer and getting harvest check lists out for what’s yet to come. Thanks and have a great week, everyone.