Michigan’s dry bean crop is ahead of schedule and harvest is expected to begin within a week or two, according to last week’s report from the Michigan field office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Paul Gross, Michigan State University extension educator in Isabella County, said “dry beans are beginning to turn” in his area and he expects harvest to begin soon. With warm and dry weather returning to the state last week, crops continued to progress rapidly.

In west-central Michigan, the majority of the corn crop was in the late milk to early dough stage, with a few fields in dent, according to the NASS report. Soybeans were filling pods, and alfalfa cutting was progressing as many producers took a third or fourth cutting. Potato harvest continued in central Michigan.

“The corn is denting and some will begin harvesting corn silage after Labor Day,” Gross said. “The warm weather is moving double-crop soybeans along with some setting pods. There is a lot of prep work for planting wheat. I expect wheat acres to be up because of good prices.”

Crop progress for corn and dry beans is ahead of last year, according to the NASS report. Farmers reported 83 percent of the state’s corn crop is in the dough stage, up from 71 percent one year ago; 40 percent is in the dent stage, up from 14 percent; and 8 percent is mature, up from none last year.

Twenty-eight percent of the state’s dry bean crop has turning leaves, up from 14 percent one year ago, with just 1 percent dropping leaves.

Farmers also reported 29 percent of the state’s corn is in good to excellent condition, 26 percent is fair and 45 percent is poor to very poor. Fifty percent of the dry bean crop was reported in good to excellent condition, 30 percent fair and 20 percent poor to very poor. Soybeans were reported as 36 percent good to excellent, 28 percent fair and 36 percent poor to very poor.

An early corn harvest is starting but yields will likely be down because of drought, according to one ag official. Soybean yields might be normal this year despite recent dry weather.

“The corn (here) is really kind of bad, but we have to wait and see when it’s harvested,” said Curt Campbell, Wabash County’s Purdue extension educator in agriculture and natural resources. “The state crop reporting system said Indiana will probably have 40 percent less corn crop yield than normal.”

In an average year the state might produce 150-160 bushels per acre on average, Campbell said. In this year’s harvest, he said Wabash County farmers will likely see spots yielding 50 bushes per acre, others with 130 – and some with none.

About 2 percent of Indiana corn has been harvested, according to NASS, for the week ending Aug. 26. This compares with none this time last year and the five-year average.

Jeff Ortman, manager at Kokomo Grain, said the corn harvest usually begins in early October: “The moisture level so far is about 29 to 35 percent. Normally, farmers like the lower 20s,” he said.

South-central and southern Indiana farmers have been harvesting corn, Ortman said. He predicted soybean harvest in his area is about a week away, but Campbell said the soybean harvest will be later with the additional rain predicted.

Corn growers will have to worry about aspergillus because of the stress on plants this year, Campbell said. “Some farmers will have to have their (crop) insurance person come in and check their crop (for this fungal mycotoxin). POET may not take it if there’s enough of it (on the ears).”

He said for those dealing with these toxins, the earlier the harvest, the better.

Some farmers are seeing corn ears where the husks have not grown completely to the tips, Campbell said. These ears are susceptible to insect and mold damage as well as birds feeding.

“I know one or two farmers who have chopped their corn because the ears are dropping due to stress,” he added. “Those feeding them to livestock need to test nitrate levels. Nitrate poisons, causes sterility or abortions in cattle.”

Corn condition is rated at 10 percent good to excellent, compared with 37 percent last year at this time, according to the NASS report. Ninety-six percent of the corn is in dough, while 81 percent was last year at this time. The five-year average was 83 percent.

Ninety-seven percent of soybeans are setting pods, which compares to 84 percent last year and 88 for the five-year average, according to NASS. Soybean condition is rated 23 percent good to excellent, compared with 45 percent last year.