The combination of an early, warm, dry spring followed by a long, hot, dry summer has put combines in the field earlier than ever this fall, with a few fields getting knocked down even before Labor Day.
Despite extreme drought conditions throughout the spring and summer there are still ears out there. Farmers are seeing yields around 80-90 bushel at around 16 percent moisture, thanks in large part to the drought tolerant corn of today. It’s not anywhere near the numbers they are accustomed to on a better year, but still worth putting in the bins.
Soybeans won’t be far behind, but what the stressed plants will yield remains to be seen.
On the bright side, pheasants may have few hiding places by opening of hunting season Oct. 20. Despite the drought, the Game, Fish and Parks are reporting a pheasant-per-mile index at 4.21, up from the 2011 index of 3.57.