What a beautiful September we’ve had thus far! Seed corn harvest has begun and non-irrigated corn is rapidly turning. Soybean harvest will most likely occur by this weekend the way early-season beans are turning.

One note, I’ve noticed droopy ears for several weeks now. It can be due to various environmental X genetic factors such as the high night-time temps coupled with cloudy weather both impacting photosynthesis with specific genetics. I also often observe ear droop to be associated with Fusarium crown rot. Estimated yield losses can be from 12-40% per ear (depending on if the shank pinching occurred during late or early dent stage, respectively). Also, scout fields for shank integrity and seek to prioritize harvest of fields with any increased risk of ear drop.

As we approach soybean harvest, perhaps a frustrating, yet important topic, is seeking to harvest soybeans as close to 13% (the elevator standard) as possible. The frustration is it seems to be such an art and luck in order to do so. For the last several years, it seems that the beans are often drier than what one realizes in spite of green stems and sometimes even leaves remaining on the beans. Test the beans for moisture earlier than you think they may be ready. There’s years like last year when I didn’t even bring this topic up with the hot, dry winds. Hopefully we don’t have a repeat of that.

To avoid beginning harvest when the soybeans are too dry, consider beginning harvest at 14% moisture making combine adjustments and operating at slower speeds as necessary. While there is a dock of around 2.5% for the first 2 points delivering wet beans (the percentage differs by Coops), delivering soybeans much below 13% moisture reduces profits because there’s fewer bushels to sell (load weight divided by 60 lbs/bu assuming 13% moisture). Selling soybeans at 8% moisture, you’re losing about 5.43% yield; at 9% moisture, it’s 4.4%; at 10% moisture, 3.3%; at 11% moisture, 2.25%; and at 12% moisture, it’s 1.14% yield loss. That doesn’t take into account additional risk for shatter losses during harvest. Only 4-5 beans on the ground can add up to a bushel/acre loss due to shatter. The following are profit examples for a field that’s yielding 75 bu/ac:

Example 1. If the grower was to sell beans at 13.8% moisture, he/she could be docked 2.5% of the selling price of $9.60/bu, reducing the actual price to $9.36 per bushel. Total income per acre would be: 75 bu/ac yield x $9.36/bu = $702 per acre gross

Example 2. If the soybeans were harvested at 9% moisture, there would be 3.3 fewer bushels per acre to sell (4.4% of 75 bu/ac yield due to water loss): 75 bu/ac – 3.3 bu/ac =71.7 bu/ac yield x $9.60 = $688.32 per acre gross. In this example it’s better to take a dockage for selling beans at 13.8% moisture than sell them at 9%. The difference is a positive gain of $13.68 per acre or around $1846.80 on a 135 acre field.

Example 3. If the soybeans were harvested at 12% moisture, there would be 0.86 fewer bushels per acre to sell (1.14% of 75 bu/ac due to water loss): 75 bu/ac – 0.86 = 74.14 bu/ac yield X $9.60 = $711.74 per acre gross. If you can’t hit 13%, it’s still pretty profitable to sell them for 12% moisture compared to the other examples.

One more note, we tend to see around 1 day delay in harvest for every 0.1 difference in maturity group. Here’s wishing you a safe and profitable harvest!