South Dakota farmers well ahead of last year’s harvest


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South Dakota farmers well ahead of last year’s harvest

South Dakota’s corn and soybean harvest is well ahead of last year. The state’s farmers have picked 39 percent of the corn crop, compared to only four percent at this time last year. Soybean combining is 82 percent complete, compared to only 11 percent a year ago.

Todd Hanten in the northeastern corner of the state has been in a good mood since he finished cutting soybeans this past week.

“It feels so good,” Hanten told Brownfield Ag News. “It’s hard to explain how good it feels after a couple of tough years.”

Hanten hadn’t even begun cutting soybeans last year at this time. He’s pleased with the $10-a-bushel price, and with this year’s production.

“Our average [soybean] yield was just over 60 bushels this year across our whole farm,” said Hanten. “The best yield we ever had was in 2016 and that was about two bushels better.

South Dakota’s Sorghum harvest is 61 percent complete and sunflower harvest is 19 percent finished. Both are well ahead of normal. Winter wheat is 88 percent planted, which is close to normal.

Hanten – secretary of the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council – is now well into harvesting high-moisture corn to feed cattle.

“This year it was fun,” he said, “definitely fun.”

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