Silage harvest moving along, but combines remain in the machine shed

SALEM, Ohio — A combination of sunshine and rain is once again trying some farmers’ patience, as they start harvesting silage and preparing to enter the fields with combines.

James P. Rust, a reporter for the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service from Mercer County, Pa., stated that some growers were making preparations and starting silage harvest. However, rain was preventing the large equipment from entering the fields.

Farther northwest in Pennsylvania, Ron McCorkle in Crawford County with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said in a survey to the USDA NASS, rain had stopped farmers from making hay but a few producers were hard at work and harvesting corn silage.

Depending on when rain hit areas, some farmers have managed to finish chopping, while others have been delayed.

As far as harvesting soybeans though, very little is happening in Mahoning and Columbiana counties yet, according to Ralph Wince, grain merchandiser for Agland Co-op.

He said there are some soybean fields getting close to harvest, but he expects it will be the beginning of October before most are ready to combine.

Wince said the shelled corn harvest is probably not going to get started until the beginning of November.

He added the late spring planting has area crops way behind.

According to the Pa. USDA NASS, for the week ending Sept. 11, 23 percent of the silage had been harvested compared with 60 percent in 2010 at this time. The five year-average was 47 percent.

For the week ending Sept. 18, farmers had been able to get 37 percent of the silage harvested in Pennsylvania. It was 76 percent complete at this time last year.

In Ohio, for the week ending Sept. 11, 22 percent of the silage had been harvested compared to 74 percent in 2010. The five-year average was 47 percent.

There is now 37 percent complete in Ohio, compared to last year when we were at 89 percent complete at this time.

In other crops, corn considered mature was 13 percent, compared to 69 percent in 2010 and 36 percent for the five-year average.

Only 19 percent of the soybeans were dropping leaves, compared to 74 percent last year and 56 percent for the five-year average.

In Pennsylvania, corn considered mature is 24 percent behind the 45 percent at this time last year and behind the five-year average of 40 percent.

Wince said, in his opinion, this year’s harvest in the Farm and Dairy region is going to last a long time.