Special Report

Quality concerns grow during wet harvest

An agronomy specialist says a wet harvest has meant quality concerns in many parts of the Corn Belt.

Nick Hustedde with FMC tells Brownfield a delayed harvest and disease issues in soybeans have meant some growers are being discounted at the elevator.  “We started picking up more frog eyed leaf spot pressure about the middle of July and we’ve had pretty consistent moisture since then.  It brought on quite a bit of fungal infection, we do have some discoloration that’s been happening and some dockage at the elevator.”

He says corn lodging also increases the risk of vomitoxin which is being reported at above normal levels from Iowa and Nebraska to Michigan and Ohio.  “That can certainly cause some issues in terms of marketing that grain and even getting some dockage.”

The Michigan Agri-Business Association says vomitoxin levels in the state have been reported at 20 parts-per-million and more than 50 parts-per-million in Ontario.  FDA allows for less than five to 30 parts-per-million in livestock feed which means grain needs to be blended or is rejected at harvest.

During the recent NAFB Convention in Kansas City, Hustedde told Brownfield farmers need to be aware of what fields had disease issues and choose resistant varieties next year alongside a fungicide program to help reduce the risk of it spreading in 2019.

AUDIO: Interview with Nick Nick Hustedde