HARVEST TIME!

It's that time of the year again when farmers are out in the fields working long hours to get their cops harvested.
With the recent winds and clear skies for several days, farmers have been able to pick up steam and get the harvest season rolling along.
One farmer also noted that the near freezing temperatures last week also helped mature soybeans dry down.
"You can sort of use Highway 68 as a grid," said one farmer outside of Ghent. "The yields are going to a little average to below average south of 68, and better as you go north of 68."
One area farmer gave an example of this differing crops just a few miles apart.
"During one rainfall in July, my place had 1.2 inches of rain and my dad's farm just a mile north had about 2 1/2 inches," he said. "My brother, who is another 2 1/2 miles north of my dad's place had around four inches of rain. And the yields reflect that kind of rainfall."
Silage for dairy and feeder cattle was chopped in late August and early September, while earlage for beef cattle followed that a couple of weeks later.
The stalks for silage are typically at a consistent height and while the plants are still green and fermenting to create a high moisture feed. This method utilizes the entire plant and is stored under a tarp to begin fermentation.
The corn and husks are used for earlage in most cases. The storage of earlage is similar to silage and is processed the same to ensure high digestibility and to fatten the cows.
Farmers have been seen in the fields harvesting beans since last week and are nearing completion. Some have already begun to harvest corn and, depending on the weather, should finish up in a few weeks.
Farmers are also benefiting from yield prices being well above the five-year average.
Planting for most farmers was later than usual this year by two to three weeks because of the wet fields. The summer was dryer than normal, although some farmers were more fortunate than others to receive timely rainfalls amounts.
"It would be nice is everyone could have the same timely rainfall," a farmer noted. "Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn't allow it."