Plenty of variability this year

Variability seems to be the name of the game this harvest season.

As several combines are now rolling through the countryside, crop conditions are all over the place.

“As spotty as the rain was through the summer, I think guys are finding that out in the fields now too,” explains Brand Schmidgall, plant manager for the Fairbury Brandt Consolidated.

Schmidgall has heard a wide range of yield numbers coming in from the territory he covers. There have been a few reports of early soybeans taken out, although the soybean harvest has yet to pick up.

Brandt Consolidated spends time each fall digging into the numbers. Today’s technology captures large amounts of information through the field and as margins are tighter, Schmidgall likes working with growers to see what can be done. Examining fertilizer programs can help growers properly manage future bushels, according to Schmidgall.