crop reports 2020

Thanks for including the link Goldenboy (y)... I mentioned to my wife that I get excited for the update each Monday... she told me that I am crazy. I replied “thank you!”
Last year we were out in December and there was some major snow drifting. Many fields were not harvested due to the water And I would assume with the drifting that many had a hard time getting to fields once the water was frozen. Were the farmers ever able to harvest the crops during Winter or did the fields remain until they were plowed and replanted? What type of a financial hit did farmers take last year and do most if not all have insurance for years like we saw in 2019?
 
Thanks for including the link Goldenboy (y)... I mentioned to my wife that I get excited for the update each Monday... she told me that I am crazy. I replied “thank you!”
Last year we were out in December and there was some major snow drifting. Many fields were not harvested due to the water And I would assume with the drifting that many had a hard time getting to fields once the water was frozen. Were the farmers ever able to harvest the crops during Winter or did the fields remain until they were plowed and replanted? What type of a financial hit did farmers take last year and do most if not all have insurance for years like we saw in 2019?
Can’t tell you the percentage but there were many fields of corn that stood all winter and got shelled in March and April this past year. Should have been great for the birds in the area. Don’t expect we will see any of that this year. In talking to a farmer yesterday out there corn was already running at 16% moisture which is very close to what you would put it in the bin at for long term storage.
 
They are a day late on last week's crop report. This is the most important one they do all year! It had better say beans 100% and corn 95% with just a few strips left in every field or there will be some explanations needed come Friday evening when I get there.
 
Field Crops Report: Corn condition rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 16% fair, 67% good, and 11% excellent. Corn mature was 95%, well ahead of 48% last year, and ahead of 81% for the five-year average. Harvested was 39%, well ahead of 4% last year and 15% average.
Soybeans harvested was 82%, well ahead of 11% last year and 42% average.
 
So maybe about 3 weeks (weather permitting) to that 90-95% range??? If this decent weather holds for both harvesting & hunting, there's going to be a mad dash to the public land to try to take advantage of the tail end of corn harvest. Predicting a LOT of early success. Then come mid to late November, we'll be dealing w/ birds even a bit smarter than usual. Going to be another interesting season.
 
They took out 20% of corn over last week. It did rain Sunday night in a lot of places but it was pretty dry ground and has been sunny/windy so they should have been back in the fields right after. That and most corn should be at 15% moisture and below which means combines run faster and it goes right into bins and elevators without needing drying first. I wouldn't be surprised to find all the beans done and 75% of corn gone on Sat and the rest by 10/24.

Cool days in the 40s predicted and hard freezes overnight. Come 10AM we'll be shooting them off barbwire where they are sunning themselves to get warm. Some say that still counts as ground-pounding but I'm on the fence about that.
 
Early harvest is a win for early season hunters. Many More birds Harvested this year early. It’s been a few years for this early harvest. I’m excited that we are hunting 10/24-10/ 28
 
Last edited:
Week ending 10/18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SOUTH DAKOTA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. October 19, 2020 - For the week ending October 18, 2020, there were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 22% very short, 50% short, 28% adequate, and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 19% very short, 45% short, 36% adequate, and 0% surplus.
Field Crops Report: Corn condition rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 15% fair, 67% good, and 12% excellent. Corn harvested was 64%, well ahead of 8% last year and 24% for the five-year average.
Soybeans harvested was 90%, well ahead of 27% last year and 60% average.
Winter wheat planted was 97%, near 93% both last year and average. Emerged was 7
 
East central report on the ground- I've seen 2 out of 500 fields was bean still in. Corn is well advanced like 80% out as it is going day and night with dry corn going straight to bins. Operations stopped this morning to allow the inch of snow to melt off but were back at it tonight. Saw ground from Frankfort to rockham to faulkton to Conde scouting/hunting over last 3 days. Birds in large numbers everywhere in both cover and crops. Snow sent them all into cattails this morning. Truck sized patches of cattails had 20 birds in them. Came out really late. Ones we got had really full gizzards with corn so they had been feeding hard.
 
As of 10-25:
Field Crops Report: Corn harvested was 79%, well ahead of 13% last year and 37% for the five-year average.
Soybeans harvested was 95%, well ahead of 51% last year, and ahead of 78% average.
Winter wheat condition rated 1% very poor, 4% poor, 18% fair, 62% good, and 15% excellent. Winter wheat emerged was 80%, behind 85% last year, and near 84% average.
Sorghum harvested was 87%, well ahead of 16% last year and 46% average. Sunflowers harvested was 39%, well ahead of 10% last year, and near 36% average.
 
That last 20% of corn has been stuck there since Monday afternoon 10/19 in many places. Won't likely get back in the field until Sat 10/31 after a few good days of sun and wind to get the snow off the corn cobs. Wiped out the two weeks ahead of schedule they had been running at.
 
Depending on area, it could be longer for the corn. The warm temps are going to create a sloppy mess that, I'm afraid, will require the ground to freeze hard to allow the combines to get back out there.
 
You're right about it being snow depth dependent. I was staying opening week with a combine driver trying to get corn in in East Central SD. The topsoil was so dry that any complete melt of the 3-5 inches of snow they had will get absorbed enough to allow them to operate with tracked units. That can go as long as the leaves on the cobs don't have snow attached that will collect and plug the sieves.
 
Back
Top