Staff writer
Soybean harvest is moving at different paces around the county. Not only are some farmers waiting for their fields to ripen, but also rain has set harvest back in some areas.
Hillsboro Cooperative Grain and Supply said they have not gotten much rain.
“Other areas around the county have gotten some rain, but it’s been by passing us,” grain coordinator Dick Tippin said Monday. “Last Friday when a big storm rolled through we were lucky and it missed us. Today it looks like it will be wet.”
Cooperative locations in Hillsboro, Marion, and Canton have taken in more than half a million bushels of soybeans, Tippin said.
“We haven’t calculated yields, but I’ve heard of some getting 40 to 60 bushels per acre,” he said.
Tippin said average for this area is around 30 bushels per acre.
He projects soybean harvest to be over by Nov. 1.
“We have some fields that aren’t ready yet because they were double cropped on wheat fields,” he said. “Those mature slower, but should be ready in the next few weeks.”
Mike Thomas, Marion Cooperative Grain and Supply manager, said he expects yields averaging 35 to 40 bushels in the Marion area.
“Everything looks pretty decent,” he said, “but this is just the beginning. We’ve still got a long ways to go before all the grain is in.”
Harvest could last until November, Thomas said.
“We’ve got people still bringing in corn,” he said. “We’re about 85 to 90 percent complete with that and then people can start cutting beans quicker, but in a few weeks milo will be ready too, so it will be an ongoing harvest.”
Stan Utting, general manager of Agri Producers in Tampa, said yields also look good in the northern part of the county. According to Utting, most farmers in that area are averaging yields in the 30s and 40s or slightly above average.
“Harvest here has been going on for a couple of weeks, and will continue to go on for a couple more,” he said. “Rain today, Monday, will slow things down a bit.”
Phil Timken, location manager for Peabody Mid-Kansas Cooperative said they are also seeing average yields.
“I would say its roughly a little over half done,” he said. “We’re seeing pretty average yields in 30 to 40 ranges. Some better, some not quite so good. Think double-cropped beans are going to be around 20 bushels per acre. That’s about average for double crop.”
Timken said he is thankful for the rain, and that it helped produce exponentially better yields than last year.
“The rain we had at the beginning of August definitely saved the beans around here,” he said.