2021 Crop Report

Update on the 2021 Laura Soybean crop production season:

This has been a strange, frustrating, nerve-racking roller coaster of a year.  Most other businesses have the ability to manage the production process, on the farm it’s all up to Mother Earth to provide rain, heat and sun.  As of August 24, we are 7.5 inches behind normal this year.  Planting started about two weeks early and conditions were great.  The soil was mellow and easy to plant in, we didn’t have a lot of rain and or wind.  We had a little bit of rain around Memorial Day and then it shut off.  Temperatures rose and humidity dropped.  There was enough moisture in the soil to get the crops started but by June 15th things were looking desperate.  We had begun to prepare ourselves for total crop failure.  On June 19th, it started to rain a little by the end of July 14th we had received about 5 inches.  We breathed a sigh of relief.  Then it shut off again and by August 19th things were starting to look desperate again.  The corn in some areas were starting to show stress and some even began to yellow indicating they were dying prematurely due to lack of moisture, there were some fields of beans in our area that started to look pale and light green indicating they have also run out of moisture.   Last friday evening we had 2.75 inches of rain.  It probably came too late for some of the corn (which had already aborted grain on the top of the ears), but the kernels that are there may benefit from increased size and weight.  The soybeans should benefit by filling out existing pods but some pods at the top of the plants have already aborted do to moisture stress.  We have enough rain to make it through harvest, we could probably go out and make some estimates as to yield potential but we really never know until we are out there with the combine and put the grain in the bin.

Will keep you posted as to our progress through the harvest season.

Jonathan