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On October 06, 2017

One of the keys to achieving maximum soybean yields is to take steps to minimize harvest loss. Extension Agronomist Dell Voight shares several points he has learned in several years of working with top soybean producers. A important first step is a timely harvest of the crop. It has been Voight’s experience that once 95% of the pods turn brown, about a week later it’s time to combine. Some recent work at Iowa State showed a 3.2% loss of moisture per day – more than 5 times that of corn. So dry down is quick. The data also suggested about 12 days after pod maturation 13% moisture was noted over the study period. After that period, the dry down rate significantly slows down or stops completely, stabilizing at about 13 percent moisture.
Soybean seeds may absorb moisture from the atmosphere under cold and humid conditions, which can delay dry down. Additionally, in conditions where the atmosphere has a high vapor pressure deficit (warm temperatures with low humidity) soybean grain dry down can reach 9-10 percent grain moisture.
Paying attention to when the soybean crop reaches maturity can help farmers schedule harvest activities. Under average weather conditions, soybean will reach 13 percent moisture in about 12 days following maturity. However, if weather conditions are conducive, grain dry down can be achieved in as early as nine days after maturity.
The article “How Fast do Soybeans Dry Down in the Field?  provides more information

Once moistures dip below 13%, a grower is essentially giving the mill soybean dry matter since they will correct the moisture to 13%. After the plants first reach harvestable moistures dry matter losses occur simply by the alternating day night and heavy dew. It is important to consider the variety since some varieties will have differences in the pod integrity and not tend to split as readily as others. There are also impacts of erect varieties that might tend to dry quickly and delays in harvest may impact those more versus varieties that tend to lay over and nestle protecting large fluctuations in dry down. If one were to wait as little as two weeks to harvest after crop maturity one could lose a significant amount of soybeans from shatter losses.

In addition to harvesting at the proper time, adjusting the combine properly can go a long way to reducing loss. Numerous tests of soybean combine losses show that up to 12 percent of the soybean crop is lost during harvest. Harvesting losses cannot be reduced to zero, but they can be reduced to about 5 percent. Combines can be operated to reduce losses without affecting the harvesting rate. Consider shatter losses of 2 percent acceptable. Average losses are 5 percent or more.

There are combine heads that force air back into the platform to assist in reducing harvest loss. However, there are some simple rules to follow for any kind of combine head. The following excerpts from a Missouri article are useful during harvest to reduce the losses that may occur during harvest. (Missouri Department of Agricultural Engineering).

Your best guide for correct combine adjustment is your operator’s manual. Remember that more than 80 percent of the machine loss usually occurs at the gathering unit. The height of the cutter bar directly impacts what beans get into the bin. If one were to harvest pods by hand versus as little as a 3.5 inch height of cut that would equate to a 5% loss just from the cutter bar height. If you go to 5 inch height of cut, it jumps to 10% loss.

Additionally the following suggestions will help keep these losses to a minimum. Make sure that knife sections, guards, wear plates and hold-down clips are in good condition and properly adjusted.

Use a ground speed of 2.8 to 3.0 miles per hour. To determine ground speed, count the number of 3-foot steps taken in 20 seconds while walking beside the combine. Divide this number by 10 to get the ground speed in miles per hour. Use a reel speed about 25 percent faster than ground speed. For 42-inch-diameter reels, use a reel speed of 11 revolutions per minute for each 1-mile-per-hour ground speed. Reel axle should be 6 to 12 inches ahead of the cutter bar. Reel bats should leave beans just as they are cut. Reel depth should be just enough to control the beans.
A six-bat reel will give more uniform feeding than a four-bat reel.

Complete the harvest as quickly as possible after beans reach 15 percent moisture content. A pick-up type reel with pick-up guards on the cutter bar is recommended when beans are lodged and tangled. Finally, if you would like more reading on this I would direct you to the Agronomy Journal Publication by D. B. Philbrook 1983, “B.D. Philbrook and E.S. Oplinger Harvest Loss in Soybeans that address this issue in more detail.

To Learn About Extending Your Grazing Season with Brassicas

Specialists from Penn State University and USDA-ARS will present a variety of topics related to establishment and management of brassicas to extend the fall grazing season. This workshop is appropriate for novice and experienced dairy, beef and small ruminant producers wanting to learn how to incorporate brassicas into their grazing system. The program will include a pasture walk.
This event will be held on Thursday October 19, 2017. Registration is at 9:30 AM and the program runs from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It will be held at Blue Mountain View Farm, 970 N State Rt 934
Annville, PA 17003. This is a free event and lunch is provided. To ensure an accurate lunch count, call or e-mail Mat Hahn (Penn State Extension) to register at 610-378-1327 or mmh29@psu.edu by Friday October 13, 2017. Walk-ins welcome, but lunch cannot be guaranteed.

To Enroll In The Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA)recently announced that starting Sept. 1, 2017, dairy producers can enroll for 2018 coverage in the Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy). Secretary Sonny Perdue has utilized additional flexibility this year by providing dairy producers the option of opting out of the program for 2018.
To opt out, a producer should not sign up during the annual registration period. By opting out, a producer would not receive any MPP-Dairy benefits if payments are triggered for 2018. Full details will be included in a subsequent Federal Register Notice. The decision would be for 2018 only and is not retroactive.
The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating dairy producers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the producer.
MPP-Dairy gives participating dairy producers the flexibility to select coverage levels best suited for their operation. Enrollment ends on Dec. 15, 2017, for coverage in calendar year 2018. Participating farmers will remain in the program through Dec. 31, 2018, and pay a minimum $100 administrative fee for 2018 coverage. Producers have the option of selecting a different coverage level from the previous coverage year during open enrollment.
Dairy operations enrolling in the program must meet conservation compliance provisions and cannot participate in the Livestock Gross Margin Dairy Insurance Program. Producers can mail the appropriate form to the producer’s administrative county FSA office, along with applicable fees, without necessitating a trip to the local FSA office. If electing higher coverage for 2018, dairy producers can either pay the premium in full at the time of enrollment or pay 100 percent of the premium by Sept. 1, 2018. Premium fees may be paid directly to FSA or producers can work with their milk handlers to remit premiums on their behalf.
USDA has a web tool to help producers determine the level of coverage under the MPP-Dairy that will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions. The online resource, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool<http://links.govdelivery.com/tracktype=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcwOTIwLjc4Mzc0MTIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MDkyMC43ODM3NDEyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2OTM3NDgxJmVtYWlsaWQ9bGpyNkBwc3UuZWR1JnVzZXJpZD1sanI2QHBzdS5lZHUmdGFyZ2V0aWQ9JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://www.fsa.usda.gov/mpptool>, allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage based on data projections. The secure site can be accessed via computer, Smartphone, tablet or any other platform, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information, visit FSA online at www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy<http://links.govdelivery.com/tracktype=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcwOTIwLjc4Mzc0MTIxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MDkyMC43ODM3NDEyMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2OTM3NDgxJmVtYWlsaWQ9bGpyNkBwc3UuZWR1JnVzZXJpZD1sanI2QHBzdS5lZHUmdGFyZ2V0aWQ9JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&102&&&http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dairy> or stop by a local FSA office to learn more about the MPP-Dairy.

Quote Of The Week: “Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who pursue the goals and dreams they believe in.” – Unknown