Published: September 28, 2008 10:31 pm      

2008 looks to be a good year for farmers

The familiar clouds of dust drift across rural roads as farmers begin the process of harvesting their crops.

They will know shortly if it has been a successful year.

“I’m expecting a fairly good yield,” Gary Horner of the Miami County Purdue Extension office said. “It’s going to be a good year, not a record harvest.”

In general, weather conditions were favorable, but there were times of stress on the crops, according to Horner. Overall, he said, it could have been worse for local farmers.

“There has been some concern with corn stalks falling over,” Horner said. “There are some fields locally where farmers are afraid of the stalks falling. In those fields the farmers will start harvesting the corn.”

Purdue agriculture specialist Bob Nielson said in limited reports he has heard of corn yields of 200 bushels or more per acre and soybeans of 60 to 70 bushels.

Nielson said there are a lot of weak cornstalks because of stalk rot.

“We sent out an advisory that if they know fields that may be affected by stalk rot, they should harvest as soon as possible,” he said. “A strong wind could cause the stalks to fall.”

Nielson said the southern Indiana corn yield will be impacted by the winds that roared through the state from the remains of Hurricane Ike.

“The yields in central Indiana should be good,” he said. “The northern part of the state was dry all summer and the southern part had a longer dry period and the wind damage. It will be a mixed bag for yields.”

Kent Chism, who farms near the Howard and Cass county lines, is currently working on harvesting soybeans.

“It’s looking pretty good for this area,” Chism said. “In Howard County, the bean yields appear to be what was anticipated.”

The price per bushel for soybeans was $11.83 per bushel and corn was selling for $5.58 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade.

“The prices are about where they need to be,” Chism said. “It is covering the costs.”

Elsworth Christmas with Purdue University said it is not to early for farmers to begin the harvesting process.

“In central Indiana the harvesting is primarily beans,” he said. “Some areas of southern Indiana have started bringing in the corn crop.”

Christmas said the soybean harvest might be a little later then normal because of delayed planting in some areas of the state.

There was a spell of cooler temperatures where the daytime highs were in the 70s and the lows in the 40s.

“Most of the beans are turning yellow and the plants are dropping their leaves,” Christmas said. “There was good moisture until late August when there was a dry period.”

The dry spell might have an impact on the bean yield, he said.

“The beans may be a little smaller than normal,” Christmas said.