11/16 - 2009 South Dakota Pheasant Hunting Field Crops Conditions Report

November 16, 2009 by Chris Hitzeman

Soybeans are all but done and corn made its biggest harvest leap this year last week. With a favorable 10 day weather forecast the farmers should begin hitting the corn hard and getting it out of the fields. I can speak first hand about how this will improve the hunting conditions as my operator stripped out all the corn on my farm and we went from seeing no birds to harvesting 19 in one day.

FIELD CROPS REPORT With continuation of favorable weather, the soybean harvest advanced 17 percentage points last week. Ninety-three percent of the soybean crop has been harvested, compared to 100 percent last year and for the five-year average. Twenty-seven percent of corn has been harvested, compared to 58 percent last year and 82 percent for the five-year average. Ninety-five percent of the winter wheat seeded has emerged, compared to 99 percent last year and for the five-year average. Fifty-nine percent of the sunflower crop has been harvested, compared to 60 percent in 2008 and 82 percent for the five-year average. Seventy-nine percent of the sorghum for grain has been harvested, compared 71 percent last year and 91 percent for the five-year average.