Record dry weather across Michigan's Thumb region has brought one of the earliest row-crop harvests on record, with more than 95% of corn and soybeans in, Michigan Ag Today reports. But Tuscola County farmer Carl Bednarski says the relief of fast field work is giving way to hard sums, because an average yield does not pay this year's bills.
"Soybeans are pretty much a wrap. There are probably not many acres left out there to go," Bednarski said. "It's been a hot, dry fall, and farmers have really utilized that great weather." Corn test weights and grain quality have held up well, with almost no mould after harvest, but yields varied widely with local summer rain. "In general, you could probably put it at about average, but as many people are pointing out, an average yield doesn't cut it this year with all the costs of inputs," he said.
Disease stayed low. Tar spot, watched closely through July and August, appeared but did not hurt quality or yields, and late-season pressure on corn and soybeans was minimal. Sugarbeet growers had a harder time: severe infestations of sugarbeet root aphids cut root tonnage in several districts.
The beet harvest is late. In a normal year it ends in the Thumb by the third week of October, but this autumn's heat made processing co-ops delay permanent piling so that beets would not spoil in storage piles. Piling opened only in early November, and growers are now hurrying to lift the rest of the crop before winter. "We're usually done around this time of year, but here we are just getting started on permanent piling," Bednarski said.
With the fields cleared early, attention has turned to 2027 budgets. High prices for fertiliser, seed and chemicals together with softer grain bids point to razor-thin margins, and farmers are weighing whether to plant more soybeans or dry beans and less corn. Bednarski's advice is to work through the numbers now and talk to ag lenders early: "Take a look at the balance sheets, talk to your bankers, and see where you can lock in profitability."
Photo: Hugh Venables / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0), a sugar beet pile
Source: Michigan Ag Today
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