This article was originally published in the September issue of Illinois Field & Bean. View the article here.
Harvest has always been a crowd favorite. Whether it’s the humid heat of summer being replaced by crisp, autumn air, or the end of year holidays peeking out on the horizon, harvest tends to bring with it a sense of happy endings. But as any farmer knows, the work doesn’t stop even after the crop is out of the field.... Read More →
ILSOYADVISOR POST
Agronomy: Southern Illinois Post-Harvest Report
December 04, 2014
ISA Director and soybean grower Don Guinnip farms near Marshall, in southern Illinois. We touched base with Guinnip in late September for a pre-harvest report. When we last talked, he was optimistic about his soybean yields and anticipated harvest to arrive on time. Let’s see how harvest went for Guinnip.
A late, but productive harvest
Rain delayed harvest for many growers throughout Illinois, including Guinnip. “Soybean harvest was slow and late,” he explains, “but it was productive.” Although Guinnip’s harvest was delayed about two weeks, he had above-average yields, and in some fields he even broke his previous on-farm records.
High yields in double-crop beans
Guinnip says his biggest surprise this growing season was the exceptionally high yields. “We had some double-crop soybeans that made average, full-season yields,” he says. “We planted beans at the end of June to early July, and got 40- to 50-bushel yields.”
Favorable growing conditions brought stress-free beans
Guinnip attributes this season’s successes to favorable conditions throughout the growing season. “We had a cool, wet summer and good growing conditions all around.” His Marshall, Ill., soybean crop had low moisture stress, with timely rains in August and September during pod fill, and a late frost.
Late-season plant health
In September, Guinnip reported Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and brown stem rot, but he was optimistic because they were not widespread and hopefully would not cause major yield loss. He says in his last month one field had trouble with SDS and marestail because it wasn’t burnt down with his other fields, but that this didn’t have a significant impact on yields.
Observations and plans for 2015
With a successful growing season behind him, Guinnip is anticipating the changes he will make in 2015. “My extra yields this year made up for lower prices,” Guinnip explains, “but weed control is becoming an increasingly bigger problem.” He anticipates a weedy crop in the coming year, specifically challenges with marestail and different pigweed species, and is keeping weed control top of mind.
Check back for more updates on harvest throughout Illinois.
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Illinois Soybean Association
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and www.ilsoygrowers.com.
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