Waynesville Mail

Farm Work Moves Inside for Winter

November brings the transition from one season of farming to another. The temperature really starts to drop, we see empty fields everywhere, and farmers start to move their work inside for the winter season. Today, we take a look into some of the current happenings for our local farmers. 

Most of the farmers in the area have finished harvesting, and the rest are completing their last bit of harvest. As of last Sunday, 90% of the corn has been harvested in the state. This is 4% less than the amount that had been harvested last year at this time but is 3% better than the last 5-year average for this time of the harvest season. Looking at soybeans, 85% of the soybean crop has been harvested. Last year, 96% of soybeans had been harvested. Looking at the 5-year average, 7% less soybeans have been harvested now than typically have been. Weather and field conditions always determine how much can be harvested. The average temperature for the past week has been 41.3℉. 

In addition to harvest, farmers have been working on planting winter wheat throughout our state of Illinois. 80% of winter wheat has been planted, which is pretty significantly lower than the average has been recently. Last year, 97% of the winter wheat had been planted by this time and 91% had been planted when referring to the last 5-year average. Some good news is that out of the winter wheat planted, 81% of the crop is in either good or excellent condition. To be specific, 68% is considered good right now and 13% has been evaluated as excellent. 

In the fields after harvest, farmers have started tillage work. Farmers are trying to get tillage work done before the weather breaks. Most of the farmers that are doing tillage are chisel plowing to bury residue or incorporate fertilizer. Another method they are using is deep tillage with an in-line ripper to try to eliminate compaction. The purpose of both an in-line ripper and chisel plowing is to try to improve soil structure so that farmers have a desirable seed bed for next year’s planting. One of the new methods that is being done is running a high-speed disk. A high-speed disk and vertical tillage tools are being run to size residue and incorporate a little dirt with the residue to aid the decomposition process in occurring faster. A high-speed disk is like a cross between a vertical tillage tool and a traditional disk that they operate at high speeds. 

Fertilizer application is happening rapidly and is dependent upon the weather and when the field conditions allow for it to happen. Another big factor for farmers to consider is the current cost of fertilizer, which just seems to rise and rise with the input issues facing the agriculture industry currently. Farmers often use the results of soil tests to determine what fertilizer is most beneficial for each area of their fields. Soil testing has been a busy business the past few weeks. Phosphorus, potassium, and lime are common nutrients to be put onto fields during the end of the fall season. Lime is good for balancing soil pH and applying it in the fall gives it time to break down before planting begins in the spring. Phosphorus and potassium are typically spread in a dry form in the fall. If nitrogen must be applied at this time of the year, you will likely see it applied through anhydrous ammonia.

Finally, end of the year bookwork is being done by farmers. They are settling up on grain sales and getting all book work put together from the previous year. Farmers are also meeting with their tax people to do that part of their farm business.