I put that little qualifier in there – “and just before harvest” – for a reason…
There are so many things to get ready with equipment and help before harvest that oftentimes it’s tough to really dig into what’s happening in the fields beyond just the moisture of the grain and maturity of the crop. THIS IS THE TIME TO REALLY SEE HOW YOUR WHOLE SEASON OF MANAGEMENT PERFORMED, SO DON’T MISS IT.
Here are some of the things you’ll need to look for, but keep in mind that your observations will continue during harvest, so plan on jumping out of the combine on a regular basis to check things out with your crop.
CORN
Stalks.
Stalk quality often determines harvest order of fields. About 12-18” up from the ground, do a pinch test as you walk through the field. Split open some stalks to look for disease or degradation. Also, do the push test and lean stalks over to see if they spring back up or snap off. Finally, look at the diameter of your stalks. If they are not as thick as you want, you likely don’t have enough potassium for the plant population and yield you have in the field.
Shanks.
One thing we’re seeing a lot of this year in the drought-prone areas of fields is poor shank quality. If you were dry at critical times for the plant to bring in potassium, especially early in the year, your shanks will not be very thick, and ear drop is more likely.
Disease.
While tar spot is getting all the attention this year, watch out for the other diseases that are even more prevalent.
There is more anthracnose crown and stem rot, fusarium crown rot, gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, and other diseases in fields EVEN IN THE DROUGHT AREAS. Be vigilant.
Download the free Ag PhD Corn Diseases app for pictures and info to help you distinguish between diseases.
SOYBEANS
Green Stems.
While green stems make harvest slower, green stems are often a sign that you kept the plant healthy and alive all the way to the end.
That typically means higher yields. If that’s the case, great job! However, if yields are poor where the green stems are at, there could be something else wrong, and that’s where field investigation is really important.
Disease.
Anthracnose as well as pod and stem blight are pretty common late season, so watch out for these and other diseases in your crop. Sudden death syndrome had a big year, too.
Finding these areas now will help you make seed treatment and varietal selections for next year’s crop.
Download the free Ag PhD Soybean Diseases app for in-field diagnosis help.
Pods Not Filled Out.
If some of your pods are not filled out completely, you may have run out of time or soil moisture, but there could have also been issues with insects, diseases, weeds, drainage, or lack of fertility. This one is complicated, so if you can’t figure out what’s going on, ask one of our agronomists to spend a little time in your field to help you determine what can be done next year so hopefully you’ll have more full-sized beans.
ALL CROPS
Problem Areas.
In general, when you see a problem area and yields are way down, stop the combine!
Jump out and grab a few plants to quickly look at the roots, inside the stems, the leaves, etc.
If you can determine the cause of the yield loss, you can fix it. Also, make sure you pull a soil sample right in the middle of the bad area to see if something in the soil contributed to the loss. Send us your soil tests if you want to get a second opinion. I look at soil tests from problem areas almost every day of the week, and it’s rare when we don’t see something that is a dead giveaway as to why yields are subpar.
Home Run Zones.
When you hit the highest-yielding spot in each field, give it the same investigation you made in the problem area and pull soil samples here so you can learn how to get yields like this all over your farm!
Compaction.
There’s no eliminating compaction forever, but the goal is always to minimize compaction and manage it better. Control your traffic this fall to reduce additional compaction. Make note of any areas you need to address after harvest.
Soil Testing.
Correlating yield to GPS-located soil sample points has helped our farm tremendously. It’s free to do (if you have a yield monitor and if you are pulling soil samples this fall). This will help you build the recipe to get higher yields every year for the rest of your farming career.
Problem Areas.
In general, when you see a problem area and yields are way down, stop the combine!
Jump out and grab a few plants to quickly look at the roots, inside the stems, the leaves, etc.
If you can determine the cause of the yield loss, you can fix it. Also, make sure you pull a soil sample right in the middle of the bad area to see if something in the soil contributed to the loss. Send us your soil tests if you want to get a second opinion. I look at soil tests from problem areas almost every day of the week, and it’s rare when we don’t see something that is a dead giveaway as to why yields are subpar.
Home Run Zones.
When you hit the highest-yielding spot in each field, give it the same investigation you made in the problem area and pull soil samples here so you can learn how to get yields like this all over your farm!
Compaction.
There’s no eliminating compaction forever, but the goal is always to minimize compaction and manage it better. Control your traffic this fall to reduce additional compaction. Make note of any areas you need to address after harvest.
Soil Testing.
Correlating yield to GPS-located soil sample points has helped our farm tremendously. It’s free to do (if you have a yield monitor and if you are pulling soil samples this fall). This will help you build the recipe to get higher yields every year for the rest of your farming career.