Area Performance Data – Soybeans
See below for some early area soybean performance data.
General Comments:
- So far the general word for soybean yields for 2023 is variability….especially from rainfall and disease. Irrigated yields seem to be very good to average, with dryland yields ‘better than expected’.
- Pioneer’s lineup of soybeans, whether Enlist or Xtend are offering industry-leading standability and disease tolerance. While white mold has hit a few Pioneer fields hard (both Xtend & Enlist), Pioneer has had the strongest standability and best disease resistance versus competitors in the area….
- Performance from Pioneer’s Enlist soybean lineup has been strong so far
This is a chart showing the corn crop planting progress by years. The main thing to note here is the large circle at week 17 & 18. By week 18, over 70% of the corn crop was planted across the state, with more like 80% in our area. Last time we find that much corn planted that early was in 2021/2011 crop years. Having corn planted by the first week of May has proven to increase yields…did the early planting this year impact corn yields? Maybe so…. especially when we look at the rest of the growing season.
The above chart shows the number of cold days in May for NE Nebraska for the past ten years. Note that 2021 was above average for the number of days with average temperature below 50 degrees.
The above charts show the percentage of normal precip for March and April of this year. First note the abundant precip received in March; this was huge for dryland and limited irrigation fields. Second, not how dry April was overall. These conditions led to more ‘air pockets’ in some of the fields with less than optimum seed-to-soil contact leading to some uneven emergence. I also remember growers saying ‘how hard’ the soil conditions were at planting, especially when planting into May. May continued this downward trend of less than normal precipitation as we received only 60% of normal for May.
The above chart shows Cloudy Days and Sunlight for June. Two things to note here are the low number of cloudy days and the above average sunlight – in fact, the best sunlight for June in the past 10 years.
This chart shows the departure from normal temperature and normal precipitation for June. Note the above temps and slightly below normal precip for June. This, along with the above normal sunlight, led to optimal growing conditions, plants ‘stretched out’ with consequent higher ear placement. This was not the case for those fields planted in June itself. In these cases, plant height and ear height were below normal. This is where we began to run 7-10 days ahead of normal for GDU accumulation.
This chart shows the corn crop silking progress for Nebraska. Much like at planting, our silking dates were ‘bunched’ together, however, the crop silked later than expectations considering the heat in June…silking was more like normal time frame. However, there was some advantage I feel for those hybrids that silked early as they were not as impacted by the wind events, and they were better able to take advantage of the grain-fill weather.
The above chart shows the cloudy days and sunlight for July. Just like in June, note the low number of cloudy days and slightly above normal sunlight, all conducive to yield….
This chart shows the departure from normal temperature and normal precipitation for July. First thing to note is the slight reduction in temperatures for July. This led to a reduction in stress on the plant as well as delaying silking dates. Second, note the increase in precipitation in most of Antelope County…it was here that we saw some of the best overall irrigated yields. All of this led to good growing conditions for most of July. However, July also saw our major ‘wind event’ which led to many ‘leaners’ which created problems for pollination and standability on corn for certain hybrids.
This chart shows the cloudy days and sunlight for August. Just like in June and July, August saw a reduction in cloudy days and above normal sunlight compared to the prior ten years, even with the smoke advisories that were occurring in the first ten days of the month…we got lucky here compared to other areas of the state and country.
This chart shows the departure from normal temperature and normal precipitation for August. Note first the increase in temperatures for August. Temperatures, especially nighttime temperatures, were above normal for most of the month. This allowed for continued increase in GDU accumulation but led to increased stress on the plant and consequent heavy irrigation for August. However, mother nature gave us some relief as we see from the precipitation map. Much of our area of Antelope County was normal to above normal precipitation. Though we received it at the end of the month, this greatly helped our dryland corn and soybeans. This may explain our irrigated soybean yields, as soybeans like sunlight, (which we got enough of), and they received precipitation in August which ‘makes’ soybean yield. August also saw another ‘wind event’ on the last Saturday of the month which caused more ‘leaners’ and some broken plants in the area.
This chart shows the departure from normal temperature and precipitation for September. Note the increase in overall temperatures for September and the dry conditions that returned after the rainfall in August. This does beg the question; did we stop irrigation too soon on some fields? September turned off hot and dry and I do think, on some fields and some hybrids, we left a few bushels on the table by not giving it ‘one last round’……
Here’s the chart showing crop progress for the whole year for Nebraska. Main thing to note here is that the grain-fill period for 2021 was extended , but also occurred earlier than prior years. In 2021, plants tended to extend grain-fill period vs. noted GDU requirements for black layer, more so than other years. With good sunlight and warm temps, yields increased across the region. We have talked a lot in past years on the impact of adequate sunlight; the last two years have shown how much influence sunlight has on yield.
