Depending on where farmers are located, this year’s soybean crop is anywhere from average to below average.
Brian Rees of the Lyon County Extension Office said he’s been hearing that the crop is less than average.
“There are some occasional spots where they’ve had some 40s and 50s but the low 20s are more common,” Rees said. “It’s due to lack of rain.”
There has been some pod damage and some insect damage, Rees said, which didn’t help the yields.
“I guess from what I’ve seen, the beans themselves have been smaller and that’s definitely a moisture situation,” Rees said.
Mike Klumpe, who farms southeast of Olpe, said his yields so far have been in the 30-bushel-per-acre range, but when you get to Lamont, it’s much worse.
“They’re really bad down there,” Klumpe said. “I think (they) made six bushels per acre.”
Klumpe, who will cut around 600 acres of beans, said this year’s yield is about the same as last year’s, maybe better.
“See, we had rain through here,” he said. “The 30s is average for us. We hope for 40 bushels in a good year. We are a little low, but not bad. We got a little rain and that helped them out.”
Gail Fuller, who farms about 700 acres, said he has just started cutting his beans.
“It’s better than the corn,” Fuller said. “The corn was a disaster, but it’s not quite as good as we were hoping it would be. In a couple of fields ,we have anywhere from the low 20s to the low 40s from the yield.”
Darin Boline of Irsik & Doll Feed Services said the beans aren’t looking too bad.
“The ones we’re getting in now are pretty dry,” Boline said. “They’re a lot cleaner than last year. We’ve probably had four or five days now of mostly beans.
“The yields aren’t there, but they’re a pretty decent quality.”
Lack of rain hurt the yields, Boline said.
“They didn’t catch the rains when they needed it,” he said.
Harry Price, a farmer who lives in rural Reading, said he hasn’t cut any of his beans yet, but he said he expects his crop to be below average this year. Last year he got about 50 bushels of beans per acre. This year he expects to get 20.
“I may get more, it just depends,” said Price, who farms on about 600 acres. “Most of the stuff where it’s dry won’t do as good this year.”
Price said that farmers that he has talked to are saying they are getting 20 to 30 bushels per acre.
“I haven’t heard of anybody below 20,” he added.
Price said no matter what the yield, it’ll have to do.
“In fact, you have to be satisfied,” he said. “Whatever you get, that’s it.”