Beans Won't Cut

You would think one of these $400,000 combines would cut anything, wouldn't you? Guess what, they won't!

We are down to 50 acres of double crop soybeans left. I have been waiting for weeks to try and get them out before it gets any wetter because this farm is flat, Clermont Silt Loam, Illinoian Glacial Till, commonly called crawl dad ground around here.

I planted the rest of my 3.9 LL seed and a 4.1 I used last year around July 2. They grew well and looked really good all year but I had problems killing foxtail in all my double crop soybeans. It was sprayed with generic Select or Clethodim herbicide with the Ignite or new foumulation of Liberty herbicide. My fall panicum problem came back on me, too.

It's like the plants froze in time the first frost and all the leaves are still on the plant and they are really tough. The sickle bar will barely cut them off and they won't feed properly through the machine. So I have around 50 acres of valuable soybeans still sitting in the field after waiting and waiting.

I could second guess myself on what I did but they are what they are and I can't change a thing now but wait and get them when they will cut. Another lesson learned and farming is one big lesson after another. No wonder some farmers don't change practices much. I experiment on my farm before I recommend it to someone else.

The combine was able to cut the beans that had the radishes in them when the soybeans were planted and they yielded really well. They were making near 70 bushels per acre on the monitor but I haven't weighed them yet. They loosened up the ground a little but I think they had more impact on plant growth and pod set. I wonder if that was because of some nematode control from their root gases. These radishes never cease to amaze me.

I would rather have the whole farm finished, though. It's been a really tough year and for me it isn't over yet.

Ed