Changing Weather Speeds Up Marshall County Soybean Harvest

A sudden shift to dryer weather resulted in a fast harvest in the northeastern corner of South Dakota. Along with rapid combining progress, soybean yields are better than expected, according to Sisseton farmer Terry Jaspers.

Earlier this spring, Jaspers spoke with the South Dakota Soybean Network about planting delays due to cool, wet weather. Planting was eventually completed after the wet spring abated. It became especially dry in August. Conversely, the autumn stayed wet until early October 4th, when rain turned to dryness again, allowing combines to roll.

“The weather really straightened out on Sunday, [October 4^th], and we’ve had five consecutive days of excellent harvesting weather,” said Jaspers, on Friday, October 9^th. “Some of the days there was very little dew, and people could get started in the morning by nine or 10 o'clock. And that makes a big difference if you can get those few extra hours in the morning, versus in the afternoon.”

Jaspers, a director on the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, said harvest progress was made to the point where a lot of farmers have been hauling soybeans to town, referring to better than anticipated yields.

“The elevator here in Sisseton hasn't been able to keep the beans away. So, what they've decided to do is pile them on the ground right near their facility here,” he said. “Their intention is to pick them up as soon as possible after soybean harvest concludes and hopefully before they have to start potentially piling corn on the ground.”

The speed of the harvest, and the extra bushels amount to good news for Jaspers and other Marshall County farmers.

“I think yields were a little bit better than expected, especially since we had a very dry August,” said Jaspers, “but evidently we had enough moisture earlier in the season that kind of sustained the soybeans.”

It’s not at all uncommon for elevators to store soybeans and corn temporarily on the ground during harvest while awaiting arrangements to get them moved out. The mountains of soybeans dotting the landscape are a sign of a bountiful fall.

“You know, on the better soils, I think yield reports are mostly in the fifties and in some really good soil approaching 60 bushel an acre, which is above average for our area up here,” said Jaspers. “So, I think farmers are generally pleased with the yields that they're getting.”

Like many producers, Jaspers, who grows corn and wheat along with soybeans, is hoping to make ends meet with strong commodity prices. The rising costs of inputs, including diesel fuel, have made that more of a challenge. Fuel expenses are tempered by the fact that Jaspers is a no-till farmer, resulting in fewer passes over his fields. Nonetheless, he’s grateful for the executive order effectively lowering his fuel outlay.

“Instead of having to pay the $6.50 diesel fuel in trucks, that's been scaled down somewhat by being able to use the dyed agricultural diesel fuel,” he said. “So, I've taken advantage of that in my truck, but with a no-till operation, I won't be doing any fall tillage or anything like that. So, my fuel costs will be kept to a minimum and I'm hoping that next spring when I need to buy fuel again for spring inputs, it'll be lower.”