2013 crops year in review
By MARK BERNARD
Contributing Writer
The 2013 cropping season is in the books for most, and not a moment too soon. A growing season that had the potential on paper to be a dream for many turned out to be a nightmare. Coming out of the fall of 2012, soil conditions were very dry and concerns of having enough moisture to keep a crop going abounded. Soil moisture conditions the fall before had been similar and pulling off another crop like 2012 couldn’t be ruled out. As the old adage goes, plant in the dust, bins will bust. Plant in the mud, crop is a dud. Soil moisture changed over the course of the winter and by April, some of the snow had melted into the soil surface, adding precious moisture for spring planting.
Spring was stubborn about coming, however. April was cold and with a snow pack to the north, any time a front moved through, cool air coming down from the north off the snow pack kept soils cold and damp. Ten-15” of snow fell in April, depending on location. Soil moisture was largely replenished as a result of the rain and snow showers totaling over 4-6” of liquid-equivalent precipitation. As a result, very little corn was planted in the area in April, although some small grain was drilled. Then came the May 2nd and 3rd snow. Depending on where you were farming, the snow was a deal-breaker. Anywhere from a trace to 18” fell with the heaviest snow being from about Hwy. 13 east. Some corn was snuck in the ground ahead of the snow with conditions barely fit. This time it turned out to be the right decision: It would be about May 13th before soils would become fit enough for planters to venture forth again.Many fields were marginal at that time, but the calendar said “plant.” Planting progress continued until Thursday the 16th with more rain showing up on the 17th, bringing planting progress to a screeching halt. May 16th became known as “Black Thursday.” Many farmers had planted their best fields earlier in the week and were down to their more poorly drained parcels by the 16th. Farmers began getting stuck and struggled to make progress. Worse yet, much of the corn planted into those conditions did not emerge, instead rotting in the cold, saturated soils due to the heavy rains that fell over the next two weeks. Huge holes in the fields appeared as stands were non-existent. It would be early June before field conditions improved to the point that planting could start again. May precipitation totaled 8.1” in the New Richland Mall for Men gauge.
By early June, hybrids needed to be swapped for earlier maturing corn and a decision needed to be made as to whether or not to plant corn at all. Some made the decision to plant and yields in the end turned out surprisingly good. Some even planted until June 20th and beyond and while the corn was wet at harvest, the fact that it still made corn is nothing short of amazing in this latitude. Soybean planting was somewhat less dramatic although there was some doubt concerning whether the soybeans would ever mature. Fortunately the concern was tempered by the experience of planting soybeans following peas as late as early July. Given the luck that everyone had up to that point no one was counting on much. Rainfall continued through June, hampering growing progress and finally by early July everyone had thrown in the towel.
Confusion over the cover crops required on the prevented plant acres abounded. Estimates of up to 25% of the corn acres went unplanted and a large variety of crops were seeded including things like crimson clover, tillage radishes, turnips, oats, peas, spring wheat, rye, winter wheat, and alfalfa. This made for some interesting observations from people passing through the area expecting to see only corn and soybean fields.
Temperatures warmed as the crop moved into July and some of the corn exhibited signs of nitrogen deficiency. The problem was in many cases that applying additional nitrogen was a little like trying to medicate a runt pig: It was still going to be a runt pig. Fortunately the health of the corn crop otherwise through July was generally good with little leaf disease. The soybean crop was similar with soybean aphids largely a no-show through July. Rains fell this year in July for a change breaking the pattern from the previous two growing seasons. The cooler temperatures that prevailed the last week of the month though had everyone guessing again about the crop making it to maturity.
That continued the first half of August and mid to late September-like temperatures became a major concern. All the sudden it warmed up about mid-month and by the last week of August it was downright hot. Just about the time we were thinking we might get by without spraying for soybean aphids they showed up. After a dry month of August they exploded making for another management decision: Was this soybean crop even worth spraying? Looking strictly at pod counts and maturity, one might’ve said “no”. However, with most farmers, there typically is a tendency to roll the dice and hope for the best. Again, this time it was the absolute correct decision regardless of planting date. Fields that were not sprayed in a timely fashion or at all turned black, prompting many questions from curious observers. The answer: Sooty mold, resulting from the honeydew exuded by the soybean aphids. The mold covers the leaves and reduces the amount of photosynthesis. Yield losses were easily 10 bushel per acre or more where soybeans were not treated.
Moving into September, sparse rainfall continued until a welcome rainfall fell on the 15th. Temperatures continued very warm through mid-month, pushing the corn and soybean crops to the finish line in rapid fashion. Some of the corn began to show the moisture stress and ears were tipping back as a result. The corn stalks also showed signs of the cannibalization as the plants attempted to move nutrients to the ears as rapidly as they could. This resulted in weak stalks and farmers responded by harvesting the corn as quickly as they could to prevent the kinds of harvest losses that had been seen the past two seasons. Soybeans caught the rain in mid-September and what a difference it made.
The killing frost held off until October 14th, allowing essentially everything that was planted, both corn and soybeans made it to maturity. GDU’s totaled 2649 for the growing season accumulated since May 1, actually 159 above normal as measured at the SROC in Waseca. This was an almost unbelievable turnaround given the slow, late start. Once soybean harvest began, most farmers were pleasantly surprised. Yields in the 50 bu./acre range on soybeans planted in early June were not uncommon and even the soybeans planted after that were generally in the 35 - 40 bu./acre range. Prices remained high so those who were patient and hadn’t bailed on planting them were handsomely rewarded.
Corn yields reflected the problems that had been experienced at planting time. Fields that were planted in good shape and were well drained typically yielded well. No records but 170 – 180 bu./acre yields were not uncommon on those fields. Where planting had been a struggle it showed. Yields of 90 – 120 bu./acre where large holes had resulted were reported, making the insurance farmers paid for critical to their survival. Corn moisture was much higher this fall as well putting temporary strain on the LP supplies. Luckily in this area by the time propane supplies were getting tight, the harvest was nearly over.
As it turns out, we were fortunate to come out of the growing season with the crop we did. If it had frozen in mid-September, the situation could’ve been much worse, with immature corn and soybeans creating some real quality headaches. Quality was generally acceptable although as corn was planted later in June, quality did diminish. Still, it made grain and that’s something given the planting date no one would’ve bet on at the time.
How are we set up for next year? Soil moisture coming out of the fall was much improved over what we saw the previous two falls with nearly 10” of available soil moisture in the top 5’ at the SROC in Waseca. What does this portend for the 2014 cropping season? It means we probably won’t be worrying about moisture at least as quickly as some years and that’s about it. In the meantime, many will be wondering what kind of shape some of the prevented plant acres will be in come spring. The various cover crops planted on those acreages and different primary tillage practices could make things interesting. Stay tuned.