Don't give up on crops yet

LEXINGTON – Yields may be impacted this fall due to a dry growing season, but the crops aren’t a total disaster just yet.

Technical agronomist Dan Froelich with Brandt Consolidated admits the dry stretch of weather has not helped the corn this summer and some doubt fields will even reach 100 bushels per acre. Froelich hasn’t observed any fields that bad.

“Generally speaking, we are seeing yields from 140 to 185 from where I checked,” Froelich explained.

Soybean checks Froelich has seen are running anywhere from 60-85 bushels per acre with several in the 75 plus neighborhood. The next five weeks will tell us what kind of soybean crop to expect.

“If we can catch a couple of rains and avoid late-season disease and insect issues, beans handle dry weather really well.”

The later planted corn really needs some rain. If it doesn’t get some soon, it will look similar to the early planted corn. With warm dry weather, the corn plant will dry up and die faster so we shouldn’t have to worry about harvesting late corn in November anymore.

“We’ve got to maintain a positive attitude and look at the bright side: this late planted corn has possibilities yet,” Froelich noted.

Brandt has planned a local agronomy day for Wednesday, Sept. 11 near Lexington which is later than usual. Speakers will discuss sulfur studies and world markets which are key topics for growers to think about now and in the future.