COATESVILLE, Ind. – Most states in the Farm World readership area have reported the harvest is completed for the year or at least seeing completion in the high 90 percent range. 

For Coatesville, Ind., farmer Mark Legan, this fall’s harvest started in his area the first week of September, about two weeks ahead of normal.

“After ample rain in July, we had a very dry late summer, with less than a quarter inch of rain from the second week of August until remnant rains from Hurricane Helene at the end of September,” he told Farm World. “We also learned about tar spot in corn this year. While we had some tar spot infections late last year, it didn’t have a significant impact on yields. This year, a lot of corn was sprayed for tar spot in our area; some more than once.

“Early soybeans yielded above average for the most part, and later-planted, later-maturity soybeans were a more average yield,” he added. “Corn yields have been highly variable also, with some fields approaching last year’s great yields, while many others, especially late-planted and replanted fields, being average to below average.”

He said, “Overall, it doesn’t appear soybean and corn yields in our area, while decent, will be as good as last year. Recent rains seem to have replenished the soil moisture. Wheat and cover crop stands are very good.”

Wilton, Iowa, farmer Dave Walton, owner of Walton Farms said, “Harvest for us was one of the smoothest I can remember. We were dry throughout, so weather delays were non-existent. Soybean moisture at harvest was a challenge to keep in an optimum range.

“We finished the week before Halloween, which is about 10 days earlier than average,” he said. “We didn’t replant anything. We had a brief delay just after we started planting due to rainy, wet conditions. After we finished planting, we had some heavy rains, but nothing to replant.”

When asked what the crop and weather conditions were like in his area, he said, “It felt like we were on the dry side of normal throughout the growing season. After mid-August, the rain basically shut off until late October. I’m sure it trimmed some yield off the soybeans.

“That said, we put a nearly-record crop in the bin,” he added. “If one more rain had hit sometime in early September, it could have been even better. Around the neighborhood, the sense is that the overall yield was surprisingly good from both a yield and quality standpoint.”

Dennis Todey, agricultural meteorologist and USDA Midwest Climate Hub director in Ames, Iowa, said, “We are pretty much completed with harvest and most fall activities from what we can tell. I would assume there are a few things happening here and there. But largely, we are completed with crop work.

“The recent precipitation has been beneficial at helping recover soil moisture after the growing season, mainly along the Ohio River and central Mississippi River,” he said. “There are still significant areas of various levels of drought surrounding the recovered area.

“The rains after the growing season have helped soil moisture in those locations where there was rain,” he added. “The additional moisture has also helped winter wheat conditions, improving winter wheat conditions. Winter wheat conditions from Missouri east had no more than 6 percent of the winter wheat crop in poor to very poor (condition) in any state.”

In Indiana, harvest wrapped up in many areas amid warm, rainy weather, the USDA said. Soybean harvest across the state concluded, finishing considerably ahead of the five-year average pace. Corn harvest progress also neared its finish, at 97 percent complete. Currently, winter wheat emergence remained approximately on schedule.

In Illinois, corn recently harvested reached 95 percent, and soybeans harvested reached 95 percent. Winter wheat planted reached 92 percent, and winter wheat emerged reached 93 percent.

In Michigan, crop harvest was virtually complete, with a few reports of a small amount corn still awaiting completion. Winter wheat conditions continued to improve with additional moisture. Wheat and cover crops remained green, while forages were entering dormancy.

In Ohio, with corn and soybean harvest nearly completed, much-needed rain replenished dry topsoil, and unseasonably warm temperatures bolstered remaining harvest efforts. Winter wheat emergence progress neared completion.

In Kentucky, corn harvest was 95 percent of acres harvested. Soybean harvest continued between the precipitation and is now at 93 percent complete. Winter wheat planting is also at 93 percent complete, with 78 percent of the crop having now emerged, and winter wheat condition mostly good.

In Tennessee, with corn harvest recently completed, cotton and soybean harvests are complete to nearly complete, and the last winter wheat is going in the ground.

In Iowa, corn harvest is virtually completed, while farmers in northern Iowa, as well as west central and east central Iowa, already harvesting 94 percent or more of their soybeans by late October, according to Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig: “Record or near-record yields and production for both corn and soybeans, combined with commodity prices not keeping up with costs, amplifies the continual need to build and expand markets locally, domestically, and internationally.”