Kevin Knapp provides this season’s final Harvest Report. He is the Case IH Combine Product Specialist for Wisconsin, northern Illinois and eastern Iowa. Look for our summary of the Harvest Reports next week, and tell us how harvest is progressing in your area.
Farmers in my area have been harvesting for the past two weeks, and they have been busy — a lot of crop has been taken out of the fields during that time.
The southern part of my territory has progressed the most, with 50 percent of soybeans harvested. Producers are just getting started in northern Wisconsin.
Some growers have made good progress harvesting corn, but others are waiting for it to dry down more. I would say that less than 50 percent of corn is harvested in my territory, and in some places, farmers are just getting started.
The Case IH Axial-Flow combine’s residue spreading system is the number one feature that works to demonstrate the advantages of using equipment that has an Agronomic Design.
The weather has been very cooperative. In the past two weeks, there have been a lot of evenings where producers were able to harvest late into the night. The new Case IH 2162 and 3162 draper headers have definitely been able to help farmers stay in the fields longer.
The crops have been maturing naturally, making it easier to harvest, and helping the Case IH Axial-Flow® combines do the work. The cooler temperatures haven’t hurt anything, and in fact, some growers with greener crops are looking forward to the first killing frost because crops are a lot easier to harvest after that point.
Case IH Axial-Flow combines have been performing very well. The combine’s residue spreading system is the number one feature that works to demonstrate the advantages of using equipment that has an Agronomic DesignSM. The combine puts residue back down on the field in an even, consistent manner, allowing it to break down over the winter and provide a better seed bed in the spring. On the new 30 series combines, farmers have been happy with the new models’ enhanced residue system.
After the dry, late summer we had, producers are pleasantly surprised with their yields. However, they are concerned with cash grain prices, as prices are the lowest they have seen in a couple of years. Other concerns are government and tax policies, particularly Section 179 that has allowed growers to write off dollars that were put towards new ag equipment costs since 2010. If it expires, it’s going to significantly affect their ability to buy new equipment and other capital.
The new 4400 corn headers have been getting positive reviews in demonstrations. I know many producers are looking forward to having them in the fields next year.
Done!