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Soybean yields fall short of expectations in western Minnesota

Oilseed crops have been variable this fall for two western Minnesota farmers.

Dan Younggren, who farms in Kittson County, tells Brownfield “we thought it would be a crop with a yield of 50 bushels/acre, plus, but it ended up being a crop in the low-to-mid 40 bushels/acre. It’s not a bad crop, but we were expecting a bit more. Those soybeans are in the bin, waiting for China to come buy some.”

Jake Thompson, who farms in Barnes County, says he plans to wrap up with soybean harvest on Tuesday.

“We had a lot of rain this summer and we had high expectations. While we had some pretty good beans, but for as good as some of those beans looked, they could have yielded better.”

He says soybean yields ranged from 35 to 60 bushels/acre. Once soybeans are harvested, Thompson says sunflower harvest can begin.

“The yields have been hit-and-miss all over, but a lot of farmers are happy with what’s been combined so far. There was a premium incentive from processing facilities if farmers could harvest sunflowers early and some farmers took advantage.”

Harvest numbers are not available, as the USDA’s weekly national and state crop reports have been delayed indefinitely by the partial shutdown of the federal government.