Harvest progress adds finishing touch to good Michigan crop year
Contact: Bob Boehm, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023
LANSING, Oct. 1, 2010 - From start to finish, it appears 2010 will go down in history as an optimal crop season in Michigan - as long as harvest continues to forge ahead as it has been.
"In 2009, there was still corn standing in December, and soybeans came off slowly too. This year is a dramatically different situation," said Bob Boehm, manager of the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Commodity and Marketing Department.
According to the Michigan Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, farmers had harvested 19 percent of the Michigan corn crop as of Sept. 26. That's a significant difference from zero percent recorded at this same time last year and a five-year average of 5 percent. Also as of Sept. 26, farmers had harvested 17 percent of the state's soybean crop, a huge jump from 1 percent a year ago and a five-year average of 8 percent.
"Last year we didn't get our first load of soybeans until the second week of October. This year our first load was Sept. 2, and by Sept. 20, there wasn't a lot left," said Jim Howe, vice president of Star of the West Milling in Frankenmuth. "Dry beans were off early, and so were sugar beets and corn. I had one gentleman in his 80s tell me he'd never seen corn or the other crops come off this early."
Of course, the 2010 harvest is not without challenges. Some farmers, especially in areas that received more than enough rain this year, worry about corn stalk strength. Troy VandenBusche, a grower from Lenawee County, said his agronomist warns against waiting too long for corn to dry in the field.
"If we wait too long and get a two-inch rain and some wind, this corn will go flat," said VandenBusche. "When the ear has a lack of nitrogen, it will cannibalize the stalk to get it."
From the grain elevators' perspective, a rain day here and there - but not one strong enough to break corn stalks - may help keep the early harvest orderly and avoid storage problems, although most elevators have prepared for large crops.
"When I look at the major players who've added storage space, I don't think there will be a problem," said Bruce Sutherland, vice president of Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC). "MAC added amillion-and-a-half bushels of storage, and Auburn Bean and Grain and other co-ops also increased their storage areas, so I think the significant players can handle it."
Sutherland adds that since four or five years ago when Michigan had a large amount of grain piled outside, temporary storage has gotten more sophisticated, with concrete or asphalt pads and retaining walls.
The fast pace of corn and soybeans coming off fields gives farmers an opportunity to get a jumpstart on planting wheat, a crop which has become more enticing with recent upward swings in price.
"We're looking at wheat futures out as far as two years bringing $7 a bushel. There's a real window of opportunity facing farmers," said Boehm.
According to the NASS Michigan Field Office, Michigan wheat planting, as of Sept. 26, was running slightly ahead of last year, 19 percent compared to 18 percent a year ago, and on pace with a five-year average of 19 percent.
With some industry analysts predicting a 20 percent to 35 percent increase in planted wheat acreage this fall compared to last year, there was concern that certified wheat seed might be hard to come by. Certified seed is preferred because it's passed several testing standards, has high germination and high test weight, and may have been treated with a fungicide seed treatment.
But Howe says growers should be able to find seed, although "not everyone will get their favorite variety."
Some farmers may resort to planting bin run wheat, which is harvested seed that hasn't been cleaned, treated or tested, said Randy Judd, manager of the Michigan Crop Improvement Association.
"There is plenty of white wheat seed out there, but the shortage may be in red," he said. "Ohio, in fact, was out of certified seed a month ago, and they started buying from Michigan, which makes us a little tighter. Not all our members are sold out, but most, by far, are. But normally, when dealers run out of seed, farmers will go to bin run seed. That's OK as long as they treat the seed and be sure it's not patented wheat, which is illegal to use."
However, Judd advises growers not to "just dump some treatment in the planter." "You won't get good enough coverage. Take the wheat to a professional cleaner," he said.
-30-
