The harvest is moving ahead across Iowa and one report says yields are varied. George Cummins is an Iowa State University Extension Crop Specialist in Northeast Iowa. He says as you get into areas where they had timely rain, the yields are “surprisingly good.” He says he’s heard of some yields that are as good as or better than 2004. He says for soybeans, early signs would point to some real good yields as far as county averages go for Northeast Iowa. Cummins says farmers may feel a bite on the bottom line if they have to dry the crop. He says commercial drying is three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half cents a point — which he says is considerably higher than last year. He says anyone who did not have a contract for fuel is concerned. He says fertilizer costs and fuel costs are also up significantly. To avoid losing even more money to fertilizer costs Cummins says you should check the soil temperature before applying fertilizer. He says they encourage you to consider fall fertilization, but he says you should wait until after the soil temperatures reach 50 degrees so you don’t lose the nitrogen you’re putting on. He says storage concerns are also hitting home as well as elevators are forced to turn grain away as the chain reaction from the Gulf Coast ports affects all areas.
