With the federal government shutdown, we didn’t get an updated Harvest Progress Report from USDA this week. But, Elizabeth Pfaff, a Channel Seed Pro and owner of Golden Acre Ag based in Henry County, says that farmers have been focusing more heavily on soybean harvest.

“I don’t have the reach that the USDA has, but in my geography near New Castle and Rushville, we’re probably looking at close to 70 percent of soybeans that have been harvested,” according to Pfaff. “It’s much less with corn. I’d say 20-to-30 percent of corn has been harvested so far.”

She tells Hoosier Ag Today that yields for soybeans and corn have been all over the board.

“I know guys who are tickled pink who tell me they’re running beans and corn on par with what they had last year, if not a tick better,” she says. “I also know guys who say they’re under where they were last year, and in some areas, they’re under quite a bit. It’s really going to cause some heartburn—especially with where we’re at on grain prices.”

Pfaff adds that the late-summer drought stress has caused the moisture on soybeans to drop out quite a bit.

“It’s not uncommon to hear guys say they’re running them even down 8-to-9 percent, which we don’t love to hear because we’re giving up yield there on the table, but we did just get some much-needed rain in my territory,” she says. “We’ve been so sporadic with rainfall this season, there’s some really good stuff out there, and then there’s some really poor stuff, and it just really comes down to geography.”

CLICK BELOW to hear the full Channel Seed Harvest Update with Elizabeth Pfaff, Channel Seed Pro and owner of Golden Acre Ag based in Henry County.