I-80 Harvest Tour: Widespread Drought in Minnesota Cuts Yields, But Corn Still Better Than Expected

The harvest has been speeding along in Minnesota this fall.  So far, farmers have harvested three quarters of the corn, which is 10 points ahead of average. They're wrapping up beans at 94% harvested, four points faster than normal.  

Drought was widespread in Minnesota this season and while results are variable farmers say soybean yields have been disappointing while corn has been better than expected.    

Nearly the entire state was hit by D1 to D4 level drought this season, but it was the third year for Bob Worth on his farm in western Minnesota.   

"Some locations got some rain. And so, they're not as far behind but most of our ground is seven to nine inches below normal."

Plus, the heat was a double whammy and Worth says the yield monitor showed a 20 to 30 bushel drop on corn yields from the outer rows to the middle of the field. 

Worth says, "Yes, we have tip back in the center of the field. Nothing on the outside. Just in the center. We do have tip back."

Despite that the corn is standing well, disease pressure was low, and Worth says the results have been surprising at his Lake Benton farm.

"Our corn yields are so far running from 160 to 190 bushels. I mean, it just depends on the type of soil you have, but etc. and our APHs are 199. So, I mean we're not that far off of a normal.  When we get all done and average them all I think we're going to be very, very happy with our corn yields. It's just it just blows my mind."

Worth farmed during some of the past drought years and in comparison, he’s not sure where the production is coming from. 

"I lived through the 1976 drought, 1988 drought, the 2012 drought. My goodness this this stuff is just blowing the socks off it all. We actually had more rain back in 88 than now and this crop is just phenomenal and it's dry. We're taking it out of the field from 13.5% to 15%. So, we don't have any expense drying."

Unfortunately, soybeans didn’t quite fare as well as the corn.  Not just because of the drought but also the heat.  Worth says, "The heat took a lot off the beans because it just shut the plant down made it mature quickly and it just never got to fill the pods out."

So, soybean yields were cut severely and ended well below his farm average. "Our range was 25 to 45 and our APH’s are 54. So, they're down considerably from what we normally get. Soybeans were dry. They started off wet with two days of sun and high temperatures and when they went to 9% really quick."

And with the dry beans they also had field loss.  Worth says, "I mean, we lost bushels by shrink but we also lost bushels by field shatter."

Statewide, crops are projected to be down in Minnesota compared to a year ago.  USDA is estimating corn yield at 179 bushels per acre, 16 bushels below last year.  Statewide soybean yield is at 48 bushels, down two bushels.