Archived Soybean Situational Statements
Soybean producers made substantial harvest progress during the past week. The current NASS figures put harvest at 61 percent complete versus 49 percent from a week ago. Half of the crop left in the field is very poor to possibly a complete loss.
However, the remaining half is good and could experience no losses to manageable losses that should allow the crop to be sold through the normal marketing channels. Some of the late planted beans that have been harvested in recent days have resulted in fairly good yields and good quality. The forecast for rain later this week will, of course, cause harvest delays and additional damage. (10-27-09)
Recent wet weather has resulted in significant yield and quality losses to this year's soybean crop. The majority of Mississippi's 2.2 million acres of soybeans were near or at maturity when the wet weather began nearly six weeks ago. As a result, a significant amount of this acreage has not been harvested. To date, we have harvested approximately 40 percent of the state's soybean crop. Historically, we have harvested 80 percent of the state's soybean acreage based on the most recent five year average (2004-2008). An overall late planted crop in part is responsible for a later than normal harvest. However, persistent wet weather has prevented harvest of a majority of the soybean acreage that has been ready to harvest for weeks in many situations.
Damage estimates for the portion of the soybean crop we last harvested nearly two weeks ago averaged 8 to 15 percent. Extremes ranged from 2 to 86 percent, with some acres not able to be harvested because of a complete loss. As a result of the constant wet weather over the course of the past two weeks, the damage and yield losses will undoubtedly increase compared to the levels reported two weeks ago when we are able to get back in the field and continue harvest. It is difficult to estimate overall losses at this point since a majority of our soybean crop is still in the field sustaining some level of damage and subsequent yield loss. Based purely on speculations, final damage to the state's soybean crop may reach levels as high as 50 percent, with individual growers sustaining losses as high as 90 percent depending on environmental as well as agronomic and cultural factors including, but not limited to, geographical location in the state, planting date, pest pressure, and irrigation vs. non-irrigated environments. Fortunately, nearly one-third of the state's soybean crop is late-planted due to being double-cropped behind wheat, replanted, or planted behind flood waters this spring. This portion of the soybean crop, because it is just now or has just recently reached maturity, has fared the wet weather to this point well. However, persistent wet weather continuing for another week or more will jeopardize this significant portion of the state's soybean crop. (10-20-09)