i'm not a farmer...but

[matchset]

we had a super great 2010 year for crops; with ample time to harvest them....

so why are there STILL so many acres of standing corn in central minnesota?

i'm not a farmer, but this practice doesn't seem economical.

anybody have any insight as to why someone would plant 100+ acres and not harvest it?

[hockeybc69]

No place to store it. Yields were incredible in areas this year.

Some may not have been dry enough to harvest before the snows came.

[WalleyeChamp]

They wanted to keep all the deer in one are for shed hunting.

[BobT]

Quote:

we had a super great 2010 year for crops; with ample time to harvest them....

Really? Where are you that you had ample time? There were a number of factors this fall.

First, the over-wet conditions. Due to standing water I was lucky to get my beans off the field at all. Some of them I had to leave until later after things dried up enough. Luckily, I got the rest when I did because there was a very narrow opening and then it rained a bunch again. Had we not managed to get them during that opening, they'd still be out there.

The Mississippi was so high that the grain barges were land-bound waiting for the river to drop. There were a lot of farmers that were forced to wait on their soybean harvest because the elevators were full. By the time they were able to move them again, the corn harvest started to come in and so the elevators stopped taking beans to make room for corn. I’ve still got beans in a box to get rid of.

You're right. It isn't economical as yields will drop as time goes on but that’s one of the risks in farming. Fortunately, the prices haven’t dropped out yet so we still have a chance to cash in.

[matchset]

like i said, i'm not a farmer. i grow food plots...w

i looked up the rainfall data for September 10th-November 10th... in my area we got 2.5'' of rain in that time.

temps ranging from 20-80 degrees.

maybe thats too much rain over a 90 day period to drive a combine thru a field, but heck what do i know.

[brian6715]

like i said, i'm not a farmer. i grow food plots...w

i looked up the rainfall data for September 10th-November 10th... in my area we got 2.5'' of rain in that time.

temps ranging from 20-80 degrees.

maybe thats too much rain over a 90 day period to drive a combine thru a field, but heck what do i know.

Yeah I have to agree with you matchset... down in SW MN I think they had ample time. It is going to vary depending on where you are at, but after that major fall rain things dried out quite nicely! Some farmers I have talked to said it was the easiest/best harvesting conditions they have seen in a long time (one even took an early trip to Mexico because he was done 2 weeks ahead of his average!)

[ERdeerhunter]

My uncle had to hand pick about 20 acres of corn because his combine would have gotten stuck otherwise. Like someone said, when bins are full there is no where to put it. Besides letting it dry naturally is a lot cheaper than the cost of putting it in the dryer.

[CaptainBly]

I helped a farmer out this fall in SW MN and it was wet. Sure there were fields that weren't bad. Then there were others that took a while to dry out. There was one field that we went back to 3-4 times, it had tile but he was toward the beginning so it took a while to drain. I think I pulled him out about 12 times.

[croixflats]

Really, whats the concern behind this? You stated your not a farmer so are you micromanaging from the sofa and whats the reason behind that?

[WalleyeChamp]

Really, whats the concern behind this? You stated your not a farmer so are you micromanaging from the sofa and whats the reason behind that?

I think Matchset is just trying to figure out if there is a reason behind it. It looks like there is in some areas.

[brian6715]

Really, whats the concern behind this? You stated your not a farmer so are you micromanaging from the sofa and whats the reason behind that?

He never tried to micromanage anything; I believe he is just trying to gain some knowledge on a certain area. There is nothing wrong with asking questions and improving your knowledge on the way the world works!

The main focus of this HSOforum is the flow of information/knowledge from one person to another, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting this question.

[BobT]

I don't have the records in front of me to tell you how much rain we got around here but I do keep an almanac of sorts at work. I'll check tomorrow to share that information. I do recall that for the period beginning May 1 through September 30th, we got over double the normal rainfall. On top of that, we got almost exactly normal for May and June so all the extra rain (approx. 19" of it) came during the months of July, August, and September. It was very wet to say the least.

I remember seeing fields around here with beans ready to go but under water. Those guys suffered some losses for sure. One of my neighbors was still chopping corn after it was covered in snow. I don't know how well that went for him.

There was a lot of beans and corn that had to be left due to standing water and then we got enough snow shortly after freeze-up that prevented harvesting then too. So, it is still out there only now it is pretty much buried in snow. I think the saving grace was that the prices were decent.

[picksbigwagon]

Central Minnesota meaning where exactly? Have you asked the local farmers? I know down in SE MN the crops were out really early for the most part, but there were a few farmers who never take their crops out until the first weekend of November, and that is according to my wifes uncle who has been farming for a long time...he just scratched his head and said he had no idea why they didn't get their corn in earlier

[HunterLee]

Our area all the corn got of except a field or two, and a couple really poor sunflower fields. Its nice to have somewhere for the deer and stuff to go, but at least this year the coyotes only have few extra hiding places.

We have killed over twice as many as last year, plus we are just starting to hit the best time of year.

[croixflats]

Quote:

The main focus of this HSOforum is the flow of information/knowledge from one person to another, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting this question.

I did not know that, learn something new everyday. Apparently responding to a question is a no no if it does not fall into what you want to hear but I do welcome what you have to say.

[creepworm]

If it is Stearns county I know of on particularly big farmer that may not have been able to go over all of his acres during the dry time after the heavy rains.

[lungdeflator]

Even up in NM theres some standing corn. I know it was really wet up here so thats probably why. Just curious, but is there a reason for not harvesting once the ground is frozen? Corn still to wet?

[MJ1657]

There is a guy near me that farms alot of land and never combines his corn until spring. He claims that even with winter/deer losses he still comes out ahead vs. spending money on dryer gas. I farm and I don't know if I agree with him but it works for him and thats all that really matters.

It's funny to see him in a field combining, working ground, and planting at the same time.

[lakevet]

Soil type is another variable. One farm with sugar sand will warm up quick, early germination with the soil temp getting up there quicker. Will drain better in wet years, but dry out more in dry years. Heavy soil/higher clay content stays wetter longer. So takes longer to get back into the field. Drainage/elevation of field also has an effect. This all impacts the time window for harvest. Another factor is management. Like any business, how the one in charge handles the variables can make a big difference. That said, these days you need to be a good manager if you are still farming.

Speaking of crops left in the field, I would venture that farmers are the businessmen/women most likely to help keep a competitor in business by harvesting his crops for him/her when a farmer is unable to do so because of a personal tragedy. When is the last time you heard of a building contractor finishing a project for a competitor who injured his back and not charging him for the expenses? Or any other business?

lakevet

[BigJakeL]

Simple answer: In a lot of southern Minnesota they got too much rain. So it was hard to harvest in wet conditions! In all other areas it was the lack of storage space.

[matchset]

i was just curious; the area i'm talking about is located in isanti county. the soil type is primarily sugar sand...

the question came up yesterday when my dad and i were taking a drive.... acres and acres of standing corn (not beans) kind of got our attention.

thought maybe there was a cut and dry explanation

[MJ1657]

The guy i'm talking about a couple posts up farms alot of ground in Isanti county.

You can burn thousands of gallons of propane drying corn in the fall.

[BLACKJACK]

I don't think wet ground is the explanation, they can just come back later when the ground freezes. Its either:

a)high propane prices

farming so much ground that they ran out of time before the first big snow came - snow running thru combines plugs them up

c)poor yield due to drought (yes some areas were dry), more economical to leave until spring d) older equipment, they can't cover as much ground

e) a combination of the above

[lungdeflator]

The last time I was able to bowhunt this year the farmer came out and combined the corn I was hunting. He also owns cattle so he might just be growing the corn just for the cows. Cows probably dont care too much how dry the corn is im guessing

[MJ1657]

If you're going to feed it right away its ok to combine it wet.

If you are going to store it that does not work.