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Minnesota farmer pleasantly surprised by yields

A farmer in west-central Minnesota is pleasantly surprised with yields.

Chad Willis of Willmar says he finished harvesting soybeans earlier this week.

“For as dry as we were all summer we caught some rains in August, so our yields were better than expected on soybeans. And yesterday I stuck the combine into some corn and I’m happy with those yields.”

He tells Brownfield corn yields are about 100 bushels per-acre better than a year ago when his area suffered from extreme drought, and plant moisture is under 20 percent.

“It’s time to get the corn. From what I noticed yesterday the stalks are good, but you never know when we’ll get one of those heavy October winds. And I’d just soon harvest it when it’s standing good rather than picking it up off the ground with a corn head, so I think I’ll keep plugging away at it.”

Willis expects to start tillage in the next week and plans to use some dairy manure for fertilizer.