Agriculture

How much crop ends up in the grain bin usually depends upon seed varieties, fertilizer, soil types and rainfall. Farmers can control the first two, but pretty much have no say in the second two.

Soil type and rainfall are again showing their vital role as the 2008 harvest kicked into high gear last week. Hutchinson-area farmers set up their combines with the soybean heads and rolled through their fields until rain Monday night into Tuesday forced them to pause for a couple of days.

By Jeff Coulter, University of Minnesota Extension

In most fields, corn residue remaining after grain harvest is incorporated into the soil with tillage or is left on the soil surface. But corn residue is also becoming a commodity. It’s being harvested by some livestock producers, and there is interest in producing ethanol from corn residue in the near future.

The first year of the SowBridge Breeding Herd Education Series just finished, and registrations are now being taken for the next year of the program, which will begin Nov. 5.

“The SowBridge program provides valuable information on the daily care and management of the sow herd from breeding through lactation, as well as piglet care,” states Mark Whitney, swine specialist with University of Minnesota Extension. “We have brought together national industry experts to discuss options for key issues affecting this segment of the pork industry.”

Minnesota's soybean harvest progressed rapidly this past week, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Minnesota Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 40 percent of the soybean crop was harvested during the week ending October 5. The majority of the corn crop had reached the mature stage of development. Canola and sweet corn harvests were nearly complete.

Prices received by Minnesota farmers for Corn for September averaged $4.90 per bushel, an increase of 8 cents from the August price according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Minnesota Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Soybeans were down $1.00 to a September price of $11.70 per bushel.

The all hog price for September was $56.30 per cwt., a decrease of $8.70 from the August price. The all beef cattle price for September was $90.60 per cwt., a decrease of $1.10 from the August price.

Minnesota's sweet corn harvest was nearly complete, and corn silage and canola harvests were progressing well, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Minnesota Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn and soybean crops were nearly half mature.

Statewide topsoil moisture supplies as of Friday, Sept. 26 were 8 percent very short, 20 short, 65 adequate, and 7 surplus. Statewide, on average, there were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week.

Field Crops Summary

Minnesota hog producers had an inventory of 7.7 million hogs and pigs on Sept. 1, 2008, up 5 percent from last year and also up 1 percent from the June 1, 2008, figure, according to the Minnesota Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This equals the record high inventory for any quarter in Minnesota. Breeding hogs totaled 570 thousand head, down 7 percent from a year earlier and market hogs and pigs at 7.13 million head, were up 7 percent from a year ago.

By Nathan Winter, University of Minnesota Extension

By David Nicolai, University of Minnesota Extension

As area soybean fields approach maturity the question that is often asked is “When are soybeans mature and when should harvest begin?”