Harvest Is Looking Good
Rain at the end of September called a pause in Trent Brandenburg’s harvest, giving him time to chat. Trent is about 25% done with his corn and soybean harvest. At first, his corn harvest moisture content was in the mid-20s, but “our last load was 15.9% so it’s ready to go.” Trent’s soybeans are also ready. Dry weather is predicted for several days, so the harvest will proceed.
More than an inch of rain in the past ten days has replenished the soil moisture. Most of Central Illinois except the western quarter is now “Abnormally Dry” on the drought map. The western quarter is still in “Moderate Drought.” The subsoil is still dry. That replenishment will have to come from fall rains (after harvest!) and winter snowfall heavier than last winter’s sparse amount.
More from The Field Report
In a Drought, but Corn is Too Wet to Harvest
The current Illinois drought map (11 September) shows severe drought in the northern 40% of Piatt County and moderate drought in the rest of Piatt and adjacent areas of neighboring counties. Trent Brandenburg has barely started harvesting because his corn [...]
Summertime Mowing And Spraying
Trent Brandenburg has been busy mowing his lawn and his roadsides due to the sunshine and frequent rains making his grass grow as well as his corn and soybeans. He has been hiring aerial spraying of fungicides to suppress disease [...]
Everything Looks Pretty Good, Says Trent
Trent Brandenburg has finished planting except for a few ponds. He is pleased with the germination so far. It is still too wet for side-dressing, but at least the Drought Monitor shows no dryness in Trent's farming area of Central [...]