News

Wisconsin soybeans a week away from harvest

A University of Wisconsin soybean expert says most of the state’s soybeans are almost ready for harvest.  Associate Professor and researcher Shawn Conley tells Brownfield, “Probably that last week of September, farmers will really begin to roll. Every farmer I’ve spoken with thinks their first beans will be ready in about a week.”  Conley says the test plots look good and yields should be pretty good.  “We have taken out some early maturity group soybeans and those yields have been pretty strong, so I think there’s good yield potential out there if two things happened: If growers got it planted on time and they avoided white mold.”

Conley says many producers planted late because of the wet spring, but he’s getting questions about last week’s helpful heat wave and the possibility of frost soon.  “Those soybeans that were planted in that first week of May, I project that as long as we don’t get a killing frost by October 1st, they will make it to physiological maturity and be just fine.”

Conley says the weather was a significant challenge this year, and many growers in the northern 2/3rds of the state battled white mold in their soybeans.