Many soybean fields across Siouxland are still filled with water from recent rain and snow. That means many farmers aren’t harvesting their beans.
“We have to go with whatever the weather lets us do and it hasn’t let us harvest soybeans for the last wek or so,” said Joel Seglem, a farmer in Kingsley. “It’s unusual because the weather pattern doesn’t usually stay wet this long at this time of the year.”
Many grain elevators pay out much less for wet or damaged beans. Standing water can destroy bean pods and crops that go unharvested for long run the risk of being unusable.
“What we’re seeing in some cases is we’re seeing the pods split open and the beans falling to the ground,” said Joel DeJong of the Iowa State Extension in Le Mars. “And once they’re on the ground you can’t harvest them.”
Even soybeans that are harvested can be less profitable if weather delays the process.
“We’re also concerned about the quality. Because we’re seeing some discolored beans out there,” DeJong said. “And discolored beans don’t store very well. The oil in it has a tendency to go rancid quicker.”
A late harvest leaves many unanswered questions for producers. But then again that too is something farmers are getting used to.
“I think if we get right back at it quickly, I think we’re gonna be okay,” said Seglem.
