View From the Cab

LANGDON, Mo. (DTN) -- Even with more than 6 inches of rain last month, fields remain firm for DTN View From the Cab farmers Brent and Lisa Judisch. "Combines are not leaving a track in the field. We've only gotten a truck stuck twice this year. Both times were due to driver error," Brent told DTN late Sunday.

"Normal for November" is the way Brent characterizes dreary November weather around his place outside Cedar Falls, Iowa. "It's a 30-day month where we normally see the sun half of those days," he said.

Following the dry summer of 2017 that barely watered Brent and Lisa's fields throughout most of the growing season, firm soil conditions are all too familiar. But in spite of that, yields are some of the best ever, though grain moisture levels of 108-day maturity corn remain high at around 18%. That's a common thread among all the Judisches' neighbors, with one reporting levels even higher at 20%. Now that cloudy November is at hand, the only real cure for high-moisture corn may be a grain dryer.

Soybeans are a different story. Moisture levels of those are perched near 13%, the ideal level for maximum pay weight without moisture dockage at the grain elevator. That's the sweet spot for this year's soybean crop, which is yielding about 10% lower than last year's excellent crop.

There were about five days suitable for fieldwork on the farm last week. "We did 30 (semitruck) loads of corn on Monday." (Under Iowa's current temporary 12.5% expanded DOT weight limits, a load of corn equals about 1,100 bushels.) "On Tuesday, I did beans and Lisa did corn. Wednesday we did another field of beans and a field of corn. Thursday was a complete washout. It rained two-tenths of an inch. Friday was a good day. We got a large field of corn done, but it was too wet for beans. Friday night it rained, but we got in a half a day on Saturday. Today (Sunday) was very nice. With only part of a crew, we were able to get 20 loads of corn," Brent recounted.

Harvest in the area around Cedar Falls is about 50% complete. Brent and Lisa are closing in on theirs with just two fields of soybeans and three fields of corn, plus 20 acres left in a fourth. They'll finish with a small custom job at the end. "We should be done with our crop on Friday," Brent estimated.

In addition to harvest, fall fieldwork has begun. Last week, Brent and hired hand Rusty Zey took turns after the combines were parked, knocking harvested corn stalks down with a land roller. Land rollers can be used to compact fluffy soil for better seed-to-soil contact. They can push rocks down into the soil beneath the reach of implements and combines. Or, as Brent and Lisa use theirs, to help incorporate and break down crop residue. "We roll all our corn on cornfields and go over them with a disc ripper. It makes the stalks break down faster," Brent said.

A key aspect of Brent's management style is he maps out fieldwork, setting goals for where he wants to be by the end of each day. He also begins long-range planning for subsequent crops even before current crops are in the bin.

"I've got grid sampling maps for all our fields. We're ready to start spreading potash on what's going to be beans next year. Then we'll put fertilizer on corn on corn. I've got all my rotations laid out, but I haven't ordered seed yet," he said.

Drab November extended south last week, all the way to DTN View From the Cab farmer Zack Rendel's place outside Miami, Oklahoma. Monday and Tuesday were soybean harvest days, but "We had a dreary day Wednesday. Couldn't have cut beans if we'd wanted to," he told DTN on Monday.

Zack took advantage of the weather on Wednesday to repair one of the grain trucks he and his uncle, Brent Rendel, use to haul grain from the field. "I pulled the tranny on the green Kodiak myself and replaced the throw-out bearing." Typical of so many farms both big and small, repairs were facilitated with help from a homemade adapter kit. "I made a little jig that slips onto a three-ton floor jack (to support the transmission). Brent had to help me push it back in," he said.

By Thursday, the Rendels had hit the maturity line on soybeans, some of which were planted as late as July. "We got 360 acres done last week. We have right at 600 left to go. We hit green beans and decided to park it and see what this week brings," he explained. Without a killing frost, the green line between maturities and planting dates slowed harvest. But now, even after frost, green soybeans must dry in the pods or face dockage at the elevator.

Friday was cloudy and overcast with mist. "It was supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees. It was like we got a tenth of rain. It was like that on Wednesday too. Brent was going to spray for cheat and ryegrass, and any volunteer corn that was still alive (in emerged winter canola fields). He decided not to do that," Zack said.

That made time for more truck repairs, this time to the red truck that quit dead in the road, by replacing the entire distributor and ignition module. "The old, purple truck (normally used to haul fertilizer but used as grain truck back up) is going back into the shed," Zack said.

Zack told DTN that crop insurance rules allow wheat planting until Dec. 10 -- that's only about a month away -- so the prolonged harvest, combined with fertilizer caking problems in the drill during damp conditions and multiple refills during the day, can slow planting.

"We have a 30% to 40% chance of rain this week. We may just broadcast the fertilizer on the ground and drill the wheat," he said.

Richard Oswald can be reached at Talk@dtn.com

Follow Richard Oswald on Twitter @RRoswald

(BAS/AG)

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