Now that it looks like the late 80’s temperatures we’ve had this fall are over, Vermilion County farmers may be saving a good chunk on drying costs. We are still very early in the harvest, and Tom Fricke of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau says those 80s temperatures through Wednesday of this week definitely dried the corn more, making less drying being needed in the bins before it’s hauled away.
AUDIO: I mean the corn’s already mature. What it will do is help dry down the moisture content, and make it a little more able to store it without having to dry it as much in the bins. So those high temperatures did help with that, and will be a cost savings to farmers.
As for the soybeans, they may have almost received too much extra drying; so this end of the week rainfall might be exactly what’s needed in that regard. As Fricke reminds us, corn is often dried further after it’s harvested, but soybeans are a different story.
AUDIO: Soybeans do need to be stored at a proper moisture level. And so, typically they aren’t harvested until they’re at that level; because it’s a little more touchy when you try to dry soybeans. So soybeans tend to be harvested very close to that desired moisture level.
Many farmers may have just started on the soybeans this week, and will return to corn once they’re done. Fricke says this may not necessarily end up being a record year, but it does look like a satisfying year; with numbers at or above what was expected after an exceptionally dry August. And as always, during harvest, please be aware that slow moving farm vehicles will be on country roads. Please be patient, and use extra caution.
