From The Rows | Aug. 23, 2023 — Chip Flory (West)

Preview of Western Iowa: It’s a “wash...” but beans have me worried.

The western leg of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour made its way up the western three Crop Districts of Iowa today. Compared to year-ago, we gained bushels of corn in southwest Iowa, but gave those bushels back in west-central Iowa. Northwest Iowa was very close to the crop we saw a year-ago.

Starting at our starting point – southwest Iowa: The Tour generated an average yield in Crop District 7 of 184.84 bu. per acre – up 6.4% from year-ago. The three-year average for CD7 is 183.64.

The number of ears in two 30-foot plots was 101.93, up from last year’s 93.42 and above the three-year average of 94.89.

Grain length this year is 6.69 inches, up slightly from last year’s 6.66 inches and below the three-year average of 6.9 inches.

Kernel rows around the ear averaged 16.18, down from last year’s 16.39 and below the three-year average of 16.48.

The “problem” in western Iowa is CD4. The average yield of 168.71 was down 6.7% from year-ago and is below the three-year average of 184.77. It appeared to be the cumulative affect of three-years of dry conditions in the district.

We saw different kinds of stresses that resulted in an average grain length of 6.2 inches – down from 6.61 inches last year and short of the 6.71-inch three-year average. The grain length was shortened by a variety of factors – early stress shortened the ear... stress at pollination prevented some ears from pollinating at the tip... and now “traditional tip-back” is happening as kernels abort at the tip of the ear.

The average number of kernel rows around the ear this year is 16.04 – down from last year’s 16.4 and the three-year average of 16.5 rows.

It seems what was gained in CD7 from year-ago was lost in CD4... and CD1 held steady.

Northwest Iowa samples generated an average yield of 182.58 bu. per acre, up 0.8% from last year’s 181.12 bushels. That also compares to a three-year average of 182.11 bu. per acre – nearly matching this year’s calculated yield.

CD1 ear populations in 60-foot of row at 103.48 is up from 101.71 last year and just under the three-year average of 103.94 ears.

Grain length this year at 6.32 inches is shorter than last year’s 6.43 inches and the three-year average of 6.49 inches.

Kernel rows around the ear of 16.47 topped last year’s 16.3 and the three-year average of 16.04.

Pod counts in southwest Iowa of 1,170.28 is down 4.4% from year-ago. But more concerning are current weather conditions and a forecast that doesn’t offer much hope for relief.

Pod counts are important – but maybe not as important as some of the observations from this year’s crop. White mold is a problem in CD4 for the soybean crop. At this time of the year, I want to see a consistently colored bean crop – dark green from the draws to the hilltops. This year there is every shade of green, yellow and unfortunately brown. Some of the yellowing is maturity. Some of the yellowing is Iron Scleroses. Some of it is Phytophthora Stem or Root Rot. Some of it is drought stress. From what I could tell... a lot of it is White Mold that developed after the Independence Day rains. West-central pod counts averaged 1,120.3, down 11% from year-ago and below the three-year average of 1,220.53.

The bean crop in northwest Iowa has an average pod count of 1,137.24 in a 3’X3’ square. That’s up 4.4% from year-ago and compares to a three-year average of 1,064.13. The bean crop in northwest Iowa obviously has great potential... if it rains tonight. The crop won’t die by this time next week, but the weather forecast certainly suggests yield potential will be going backwards.

We are three-quarters the way on the 2023 Crop Tour! It will be another hot and stressful day tomorrow as we make our way to Rochester to meet up with Brian Grete, Mark Bernard and the rest of the Eastern Crop Tour crew. Can’t wait to see reactions to less-than-ideal conditions in eastern Iowa and we might find the “garden spot” of the Western Tour in southwest Minnesota.