AgFax Southern Grain - Louisiana

by AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com

OVERVIEW

Soybean harvest is gaining momentum through the Midsouth and a few fields of early beans in the Southeast are either being cut or will be soon.

Yields in the Delta states have mostly been good, our contacts tell us. But damage has been high in parts of the lower Midsouth where soybeans took a major hit from weeks of rain and redbanded stink bug infestations that could not be treated due to the weather.

Stink bugs are the main pest in late soybeans now. But worms also remain a factor in places. That includes soybean loopers and velvetbean caterpillars. Disease has worked over some looper populations, mainly on a localized basis. Kudzu bugs have required treatments, also on a localized basis.

Corn harvest is winding down in more areas. This won't be a year for record yields.

LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS

Richard Griffing, Griffing Consulting, LLC, Monterey, Louisiana

"We're probably 60% to 70% finished with soybean harvest. Some damage has turned up, but that mostly went down after we got the first beans out. At first it was running 15% to 20%, but now it's stabilized at more like 2% to 4%, and yields are actually pretty good. The early damage was mostly weather related, plus some problems with redbanded stink bugs where we couldn't spray on time due to all the rain.

"Certain dryland soybeans have averaged 60 to 70 bu/acre, with better yields than that in some irrigated fields. I don't know of any corn left to harvest. Yields were pretty fair. A lot of dryland corn averaged 170 to 200 bu/acre, and some irrigated was in the 185 to 215 range.

"We're 75% to 80% finished with rice harvest. I've heard hybrid yields as high as 225 bu/acre and as low as 170. How it all works out remains to be seen. I just drove by a field that they were harvesting, and that rice was flat on the ground."

Gary Wolfe, La-Ark Agricultural Consulting, Ida, Louisiana

"We've been fighting redbanded stink bugs and soybean loopers this year in beans. On top of all that, the rain in August really hurt. In one 18-day period it rained 16 days to some extent, plus we had heavy dews. One grower started harvesting soybeans and was hitting 80% damage. Those were early beans that had been absolutely beautiful before the rain sat on them. Beans had sprouted and were stuck in the pods. All of our beans are turning. The last insect treatment went out 10 to 11 days ago (from 9/12), although I'm still looking."