Now Picking Corn, Starting Soybeans In Two Weeks

September 2014 Farm Report
Trent Brandenburg waited for more in-field corn drying before starting his main corn harvest. Early sampling runs came in at 25 per cent and more, but now some is as low as 17 per cent, so Trent is rolling. Trent estimates he has about 10 per cent of his corn harvested (Sept. 25). He is very pleased with corn yields of 230-270 bushels per acre. Asked about row spacing, Trent said he is using 30-inch rows. He doesn’t believe 20-inch rows “are worth the extra expense” to buy more seed, replace planters, and replace the combine corn head for the narrow rows.
Trent estimates that he will begin soybean harvest “yet this month”. His soybeans are also planted in 30-inch rows which he believes “yield as good or better than 15-inch rows.” Trent has not found any disease problems in his corn and soybean crops. He has not used aerial spraying of fungicides this year despite the prolonged wetness. Trent is pleased with the standability of his corn plants. He had expected some stalk weakness from the early-season very fast growth, but is happy to find nothing major hampering harvest.
More from The Field Report
Timely Rain Helps Corn And Beans
Trent Brandenburg is happy to have received more than an inch of rain on his dry fields in mid-July. After scouting his crops to determine drought damage, he concluded that the corn pollination hadn't gotten far enough along to be [...]
Corn Leaves Starting to Roll From Lack of Rain
"The corn leaves are rolling," Trent Brandenburg replied when asked about drought effects on his crops. Despite widespread central Illinois one-inch rains Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th, as reported by CoCoRaHS (Community Cooperative Rain, Hail and Snow Network), [...]
Wind And Sun Dried The Fields Fast
This morning (June 6, 2022) Trent Brandenburg was considering if he should start mowing roadsides. Watching the cloudy skies, he wondered if he would be caught in the rain. Trent finished his planting over a week ago. He has a [...]