Today’s split route in Indiana went from north from Noblesville about 20 miles and then straight north for roughly 60 – 70 miles. We the angled down towards Logansport and cut our sampling off at Monticello where the other group had started their sampling. We also had the Farm Journal broadcast group with us shooting footage for presentations on Ag Day and other programming. The counties we sampled in IN included Madison, Grant, Wabash, Fulton, and Cass with the fields all coming from USDA crop reporting districts 2 and 5.
The corn crop typically appeared decent from the road although looks can be deceiving. The first sample we pulled in Madison Co. confirmed that. At 126 bu./acre, it was not a happy corn field. A lot of tip back and only 14 kernels around average. The next two fields looked like they belonged on a postcard. With the drone flying overhead there was evidence that all was not well either one. 5 – 10% brittle snap from a post tassel windstorm event reduced harvestable ear size on the stalks affected. We were under the impression that as we moved west through our route the yield in the corn samples would tail off. Instead, it actually came up on the next three samples to over 200 bu./acre with a high for the day of 223 in Cass Co. Our route average was 189 bu./acre.
Most of the corn sampled today will need a frost-free September to get it to the finish line in good shape. As with the OH crop yesterday, I’m fairly confident that the odds of a damaging early frost are slim. A good, warm September with cool nights along with some timely, sufficient but not excessive rains and this crop we saw on our route should finish nicely. This is typical of much of the rest of IN as well. It’s not the IN crop we saw in 2021 but more typical of what I’ve become accustomed to on most prior year’s Crop Tours.
The soybeans samples today were more consistent than yesterday’s OH sampling with a whopping high of 2371 pods in the 3’x3’ square coming from Madison Co. and a low of 86 in Cass Co. That last sample was an outlier however, coming from some blow sand that might be better off in CRP. The average on our route today was a very respectable 1216 even with the outlier in it. No disease or insect pressure was noted in today’s soybean samples. This looked the part of a soybean crop that still had lots of potential, given timely rains, a favorable stretch of September temperatures and most of the month to get the job done. Would not count this IN soybean crop out just yet.
Something that was evident in several IN corn fields I sampled today was foxtail and waterhemp pressure. I understand that some of the pre chemistry is not going work very well with the lack of rain. However, there are plenty of good postemerge products that are extremely effective. Especially in years where moisture has been at times a limiting factor, it’s imperative to get a handle on weed control. Especially in the case of waterhemp, once the ground gets seeded down, it can be an uphill battle to get the field back into shape again. Best to nip it in the bud before that happens.
On to get a handle on the IL crop tomorrow and then to IA City and the Hyatt Regency. Hopefully they don’t change the sign on the hotel a half hour before I get there this year. Hope to see you there!