2016 Dodge County Crop Tech Cafe Yield Tour

2016 Dodge County Crop Tech Cafe Yield Tour: September 7-10

by Nathan Mueller

2016 Dodge County Crop Tech Cafe Crop Yield Tour Routes (same routes used in 2015).

Listen to this interview with Chad Moyer and I from Husker Harvest Days about the results of the 2016 Dodge County Yield Tour:

First, how close was my preharvest yield estimates last year during this tour? USDA-NASS 2015 Dodge County yields based on post-harvest farmer surveys was 194.8 bu/ac for all corn acres and 60.3 bu/ac for all soybean acres. My 2015 preharvest yield estimates for all corn acres was 197 bu/ac and for all soybean acres was 58 bu/ac. Not too bad and I hope that I am that close again. Check out last year’s crop yield tour: 2015 Dodge County Crop Yield Tour.

As a reminder, here is my methodology…

Crop Tech Cafe Corn Yield Estimation Method:

Stop at random fields along a predetermined driving route through Dodge County (map above).
Walk past all end rows and then walk at least another 60 feet or more into the field.
Measure out an area 1/1,000 of an acre based on the row width. For 30-inch rows, this equates to a 17′ 5″ row length.
Pull back husks on every 5th ear for dryland fields and on every 6th ear for irrigated fields in row 1.
Repeat step 4 for the adjacent row or row 2 to average across row-units of the planter (likely).
Count the total number of corn ears in both row 1 and row 2.
Count the number of kernel rows and kernels within a row or length. Only continuous rows counted, so some kernels at the base and tip of an ear are not counted.
Calculate kernels per ear from average of 5 ears, then kernels per ear * total ears / kernel weight (75K) = bushels/acre for row 1 and repeat for row 2.
1. Example: 560 kernels per ear * 33 / 75 = 246 bu/ac
Average the yield estimates from row 1 and row 2 to get a final estimate. (Note: Yield estimates are from a small area within the field, not the entire field)

Crop Tech Cafe Soybean Yield Estimation Method:

Step-by-step printable guide and calculator: Estimating Soybean Yield

Stop at random fields along a predetermined driving route through Dodge County (map above).
Walk past all end rows and then walk at least another 60 feet or more into the field.
Measure out an area 1/10,000 of an acre based on the row width. For 30-inch rows, this equates to a 21″ row length and for 15-inch rows this equates to two 21″ row lengths for adjacent rows.
Use a pruning shears to cut all soybean plants at the base in this 1/10,000 of an acre and carry them back to the pickup bed.
Count the total number or sum of pods on all plants.
Count the number of seeds per pod in all pods on two representative plants in the sample.
Multiply total pods per 1/10,000 of an acre by the average number of seeds per pod and divide by 18 (factor for 3,000 seeds/lbs) to get the yield estimate at 13% moisture.
Yield estimates below include preharvest/harvest loss (15%) and moisture loss (harvested at 9% moisture) factor. (Note: Yield estimates are from a small area within the field, not the entire field).

2016 Crop Yield Tour Summary

The 2016 corn preharvest yield estimate was 184 bu/ac, which is down 13 bu/ac from a year ago (Table 1 below). Irrigated and dryland yields averaged 212 bu/ac and 167 bu/ac. Irrigated yields were only 3 bu/ac higher while dryland was 21 bu/ac short of 2015. This was largely driven by having 2,200 less ears per acre compared to last year. Much of this reduction came from seedling dampening off and then the green snap from the July 5 storm. Fortunately we managed to put more rows of kernels on the ears early this season with an average of 17.0, compared to last year’s 15.7 rows of kernels. Ear length was very similar to a year ago. Given the extra heat units in June and portions of July, the corn averaged 3/4 milk line versus 1/3 milk line in 2015.

The 2016 soybean preharvest yield estimate was 62 bu/ac for the county, up 4 bu/ac from a year ago (Table 2 below). Irrigated and dryland soybean yields were 70 and 57 bu/ac correspondingly. If you thought your beans had more pods than last year, your right. The county average was up nearly 100 pods per 1/10,000 of acre from 2015, averaging 602. However yield estimates were dampened by having less seeds per pod and I thought slightly small seed size. Maturity was only slightly ahead of 2015 and the amount of lodging was similar to a year ago.

Table 1. Summary of 2016 Corn Preharvest Yield Estimates

Stop	Region	Irrigated	Maturity (stage)	Ear Count (k/acre)	Rows of Kernels	Length of rows (kernels)	Kernel Weight Factor	Final (bu/ac)
1	Platte River Valley	Yes	5.875	28.0	16.6	38.4	75	239
2	Platte River Valley	Yes	5.5	27.5	17.0	32.1	75	199
3	Platte River Valley	Yes	5.75	30.0	19.6	31.6	75	246
4	Platte River Valley	No	4.7	23.5	16.6	36.9	85	171
5	Fillmore Flats	Yes	5.5	29.0	16.6	36.7	75	235
6	Fillmore Flats	No	5.875	23.5	16.6	35.3	80	173
7	Fillmore Flats	No	5.875	22.5	17.8	30.8	80	154
8	Fillmore Flats	Yes	5.875	33.0	15.4	34.9	75	235
9	Nora Hills	No	5.5	21.5	16.6	33.5	80	149
10	Nora Hills	No	5.5	22.0	18.8	34.2	80	176
11	Nora Hills	Yes	5.5	30.5	18.0	30.0	75	219
12	Thurman Dunes	Yes	5.875	22.0	16.4	37.1	85	157
13	Moody Hills	No	5.75	29.5	16.4	35.8	80	216
14	Moody Hills	No	5.75	21.5	16.4	28.4	80	127
15	Moody Hills	No	5.75	25.5	15.8	29.8	80	150
16	Elkhorn River Valley	Yes	5.66	20.5	17.2	34.6	75	162
17	Elkhorn River Valley	No	6	24.5	17.6	34.2	80	184
	2016 (County)	47%	5.7	25.6	17.0	33.8	79	184
	Irrigated		5.7	27.6	17.1	34.4	76	212
	Dryland		5.6	23.8	17.0	33.2	81	167
	2015 (County)	41%	5.3	27.8	15.7	34.2	75	197
	Irrigated		5.4	31.0	15.9	31.8	75	209
	Dryland		5.2	25.6	15.6	35.9	76	188

Table 2. Summary of 2016 Soybean Preharvest Yield Estimates

Stop	Region	Irrigated	Maturity	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
1	Platte River Valley	Yes	6	558	2.6	20	58
2	Platte River Valley	Yes	6	573	2.5	20	59
3	Platte River Valley	Yes	6	704	2.6	18	82
4	Platte River Valley	No	6	631	2.3	21	57
5	Fillmore Flats	Yes	6	699	2.6	19	78
6	Fillmore Flats	No	6	581	2.5	18	66
7	Fillmore Flats	Yes	6	648	2.4	19	66
8	Fillmore Flats	No	6	455	2.3	19	46
9	Nora Hills	No	6	785	2.4	19	79
10	Nora Hills	No	6	571	2.1	19	51
11	Nora Hills	Yes	6	542	2.6	19	60
12	Thurman Dunes	Yes	6	686	2.4	20	67
13	Moody Hills	No	6	475	2.5	19	51
14	Moody Hills	No	6.5	614	2.4	19	62
15	Moody Hills	No	6	551	2.6	19	61
16	Elkhorn River Valley	No	6.5	419	2.0	19	36
17	Elkhorn River Valley	Yes	6	746	2.6	18	89
	2016 (County)	2016	6.1	602	2.4	19	62
	Irrigated		6.0	645	2.5	19	70
	Dryland		6.1	565	2.3	19	57
	2015 (County)	2015	5.9	507	2.6	18	58
	Irrigated		5.9	492	2.7	18	58
	Dryland		5.9	515	2.6	18	60

Detailed Reports by Individual Stops Organized by Region

Region 1: Platte River Valley

Corn Stop 1: This ear was 18 rows and 37 kernels long.

Corn Stop 1: 239 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage, corn-after-corn, 7/8 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	29	A	Ear Count	27	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	37	Ear 1	16	36
Ear 2	14	34	Ear 2	16	41
Ear 3	18	45	Ear 3	20	43
Ear 4	14	40	Ear 4	16	35
Ear 5	16	39	Ear 5	18	34

Average Kernels/Ear	627	B	Average Kernels/Ear	653	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	243		Yield (15.5%)	235

Corn Stop 2: Nice late-season plant health.

Corn Stop 2: 199 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage, corn-after-corn, 1/2 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	28	A	Ear Count	27	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	32	Ear 1	16	34
Ear 2	16	32	Ear 2	16	33
Ear 3	16	33	Ear 3	16	38
Ear 4	16	34	Ear 4	18	22
Ear 5	18	35	Ear 5	20	28

Average Kernels/Ear	558	B	Average Kernels/Ear	527	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	208		Yield (15.5%)	190

Corn Stop 3: Highest yield estimate came from this field.

Corn Stop 3: 246 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 3/4 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	30	A	Ear Count	30	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	36	Ear 1	20	29
Ear 2	18	36	Ear 2	20	34
Ear 3	20	33	Ear 3	18	35
Ear 4	18	31	Ear 4	22	25
Ear 5	20	29	Ear 5	22	28

Average Kernels/Ear	619	B	Average Kernels/Ear	611	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	248		Yield (15.5%)	244

Corn Stop 4: Southern rust infection more severe in this late-planted corn field. Least mature field during the tour.

Corn Stop 4: 171 bu/ac, dryland, conventional tillage, corn-after-soybeans, 36″ rows, beginning dent stage.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	26	A	Ear Count	21	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	36	Ear 1	16	36
Ear 2	16	38	Ear 2	16	33
Ear 3	18	38	Ear 3	14	35
Ear 4	18	38	Ear 4	16	39
Ear 5	18	38	Ear 5	16	38

Average Kernels/Ear	662	B	Average Kernels/Ear	565	B
Kernal Weight Factor	85	C	Kernal Weight Factor	85	C
Yield (15.5%)	202		Yield (15.5%)	140

Soybean Stop 1: Rained started at 9:00 am on Wednesday, I didn’t get started again until later that afternoon.

Soybean Stop 1: 58 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
1	10	190	558	2.6	20	58

Soybean Stop 2: Sudden death syndrome in this portion of the field.

Soybean Stop 2: 58 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
2	15	190	573	2.5	20	59

Soybean Stop 3: Only field that I found white mold in, but also one of the highest yielding.

Soybean Stop 3: 82 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
3	15	180	704	2.6	18	82

Soybean Stop 4: Determining the number of seeds per pod.

Soybean Stop 4: 57 bu/ac, dryland, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
4	30	200	631	2.3	21	57

Region 2: Fillmore Flats

Corn Stop 5: Nice grain quality and kernel fill at this stop.

Corn Stop 5: 235 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional till, corn-after-corn, 1/2 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	29	A	Ear Count	29	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	36	Ear 1	18	36
Ear 2	16	34	Ear 2	18	34
Ear 3	20	39	Ear 3	14	40
Ear 4	16	31	Ear 4	16	39
Ear 5	14	39	Ear 5	16	39

Average Kernels/Ear	603	B	Average Kernels/Ear	614	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	233		Yield (15.5%)	237

Corn Stop 6: Green snap and Goss’s Wilt reduced ear count and yield potential at this stop.

Corn Stop 6: 173 bu/ac, dryland, conventional till, corn-after-soybeans, 7/8 milk line.

Row 1				Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	23	A		Ear Count	24	A
	Rows	Length			Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	36	Snap pic	Ear 1	18	35
Ear 2	14	32		Ear 2	18	35
Ear 3	18	40		Ear 3	16	33
Ear 4	18	34		Ear 4	16	40
Ear 5	16	30		Ear 5	16	38

Average Kernels/Ear	567	B		Average Kernels/Ear	607	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C		Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	163			Yield (15.5%)	182

Corn Stop 7: Some kernels had reach maturity or black layer at this stop.

Corn Stop 7: 154 bu/ac, dryland, conventional till, corn-after-soybeans, 7/8 milk line to black layer.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	21	A	Ear Count	24	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	34	Ear 1	16	37
Ear 2	18	31	Ear 2	16	35
Ear 3	18	20	Ear 3	20	29
Ear 4	18	27	Ear 4	20	31
Ear 5	18	30	Ear 5	18	34

Average Kernels/Ear	498	B	Average Kernels/Ear	593	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	131		Yield (15.5%)	178

Corn Stop 8: Nice ear count for irrigated corn. Some minor green snap, about 1K/acre

Corn Stop 8: 235 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional till, corn-after-soybeans, 7/8 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	33	A	Ear Count	33	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	32	Ear 1	14	34
Ear 2	16	28	Ear 2	14	37
Ear 3	16	26	Ear 3	16	41
Ear 4	18	32	Ear 4	14	43
Ear 5	14	38	Ear 5	14	38

Average Kernels/Ear	510	B	Average Kernels/Ear	557	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	224		Yield (15.5%)	245

Stop 5: Unfortunately I found Palmer amaranth. Read another blog post about how to tell it apart from waterehemp.

Soybean Stop 5: Really nice yield… unfortunately I found Palmer amaranth too. Read another blog post about how to tell it apart from waterhemp.

Soybean Stop 5: 78 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
5	20	120	699	2.6	19	78

Soybean Stop 6: Starting to get tired counting pods and seeds per pod!

Soybean Stop 6: 66 bu/ac, dryland, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
6	20	150	581	2.5	18	66

Soybean Stop 7: My favorite tape measure… blaze orange. I have lost a lot of tape measures over the years. Blaze orange makes it easier to find after you leave it out in the field.

Soybean Stop 7: 66 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional tillage.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
7	15	170	648	2.4	19	66

Soybean Stop 8. Shorter soybeans than some other fields, likely planted later.

Soybean Stop 8: 46 bu/ac, dryland, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
8	15	180	455	2.3	19	46

Region 3: Northwest Nora Hills

Corn Stop 9: If you look closely, you will see the goose-necked stalks from the July 5 wind event. Again, some green snap too reducing ear counts.

Corn Stop 9: 149 bu/ac, dryland, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 1/2 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	21	A	Ear Count	22	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	14	32	Ear 1	20	30
Ear 2	16	33	Ear 2	18	31
Ear 3	18	30	Ear 3	16	34
Ear 4	16	37	Ear 4	16	36
Ear 5	16	36	Ear 5	16	36

Average Kernels/Ear	537	B	Average Kernels/Ear	571	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	141		Yield (15.5%)	157

Corn Stop 10: Highest average number of rows for dryland corn in the tour, with 18.8. This ear had 18 rows and 35 kernels long.

Corn Stop 10: 176 bu/ac, dryland, conventional till, corn-after-soybeans, 1/2 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	20	A	Ear Count	24	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	36	Ear 1	20	37
Ear 2	20	31	Ear 2	18	35
Ear 3	22	30	Ear 3	16	30
Ear 4	18	38	Ear 4	18	36
Ear 5	20	34	Ear 5	18	35

Average Kernels/Ear	658	B	Average Kernels/Ear	626	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	165		Yield (15.5%)	188

Corn Stop 11: On average, the corn maturity is a little later up in the northwest corner of the county, all 3 stops were at 1/2 milk line.

Corn Stop 11: 219 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 1/2 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	32	A	Ear Count	29	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	27	Ear 1	20	24
Ear 2	18	33	Ear 2	18	27
Ear 3	18	34	Ear 3	18	33
Ear 4	16	30	Ear 4	18	33
Ear 5	18	31	Ear 5	18	28

Average Kernels/Ear	546	B	Average Kernels/Ear	532	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	233		Yield (15.5%)	206

Soybean Stop 9: Highest number of pods per 1/10,000 of an acre during the crop tour at 785. I was surprised, but I don’t think I miscounted.

Soybean Stop 9: 79 bu/ac, dryland, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
9	15	160	785	2.4	19	79

Soybean Stop 10: Low number of seeds per pod brought the yield estimate down at this stop, only 2.1 seeds per pod.

Soybean Stop 10: 51 bu/ac, dryland, conventional till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
10	30	110	571	2.1	19	51

Stop 11: First field that I found with a lot of soybean aphids. However the economic threshold at R6, full seed growth stage, is around 600 to 700 per plant.

Soybean Stop 11: 60 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
11	30	120	542	2.6	19	60

Region 4: Thurman Dunes

Stop 12: It is not easy growing crops on sand dunes. Sandy upland soils and shallow kernels

Corn Stop 12: It is not easy growing corn on sand dunes. Sandy upland soils had shallow kernels. Harvest not that far away for this field.

Corn Stop 12: 157 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 7/8 milk line to black layer.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	22	A	Ear Count	22	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	39	Ear 1	14	42
Ear 2	14	36	Ear 2	16	37
Ear 3	16	34	Ear 3	18	34
Ear 4	18	38	Ear 4	18	35
Ear 5	16	41	Ear 5	18	35

Average Kernels/Ear	602	B	Average Kernels/Ear	610	B
Kernal Weight Factor	85	C	Kernal Weight Factor	85	C
Yield (15.5%)	156		Yield (15.5%)	158

Soybean Stop 12: One of two stops with soybean aphids. It did my counting a little stickier. This field was not as sandy as I found with the corn field.

Soybean Stop 12: 67 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
12	8	200	686	2.4	20	67

Region 5: Northeast Moody Hills

Corn Stop 13: Just starting to rain and thunder at 11:30 AM on Friday… Rain makes corn as this field had the highest ear count and yield for a dryland stop.

Corn Stop 13: 216 bu/ac, dryland, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 3/4 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	31	A	Ear Count	28	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	38	Ear 1	16	36
Ear 2	18	36	Ear 2	16	36
Ear 3	16	34	Ear 3	16	35
Ear 4	16	37	Ear 4	16	38
Ear 5	16	36	Ear 5	18	32

Average Kernels/Ear	594	B	Average Kernels/Ear	579	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	230		Yield (15.5%)	203

Corn Stop 14: Lots of green snap in this field. Many plants snapped low enough that no ear was produced.

Corn Stop 14: 127 bu/ac, dryland, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 3/4 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	25	A	Ear Count	18	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	36	Ear 1	12	17
Ear 2	16	33	Ear 2	16	26
Ear 3	16	40	Ear 3	16	38
Ear 4	18	30	Ear 4	18	34
Ear 5	18	14	Ear 5	18	16

Average Kernels/Ear	507	B	Average Kernels/Ear	426	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	159		Yield (15.5%)	96

Corn Stop 15: Ear and stalk rots may be an issue in some fields this fall.

Corn Stop 15: 150 bu/ac, dryland, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, 3/4 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	26	A	Ear Count	25	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	16	31	Ear 1	18	35
Ear 2	18	31	Ear 2	16	39
Ear 3	14	35	Ear 3	14	35
Ear 4	16	18	Ear 4	16	16
Ear 5	16	26	Ear 5	14	32

Average Kernels/Ear	450	B	Average Kernels/Ear	490	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	146		Yield (15.5%)	153

Soybean Stop 13: Soybeans standing well in this field, many soybean fields had lodging issues again this year.

Soybean Stop 13: 51 bu/ac, dryland, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
13	30	130	475	2.5	19	51

Soybean Stop 14: June 20th hail event in this area was still noticeable. Lots of lateral branching.

Soybean Stop 14: 62 bu/ac, dryland, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
14	30	140	614	2.4	19	62

Soybean Stop 15: This is why insurance doesn’t pay out well on early season hail in soybeans.

Soybean Stop 15: 67 bu/ac, dryland, no-till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
15	15	160	551	2.6	19	61

Region 6: Elkhorn River Valley

Corn Stop 16: Nice ears, just not enough in this irrigated field that had lost 6k/acre ears due to green snap from the July 5 storm.

Corn Stop 16: 162 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional till, corn-after-soybeans, 2/3 milk line.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	20	A	Ear Count	21	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	18	32	Ear 1	16	36
Ear 2	18	37	Ear 2	18	33
Ear 3	18	33	Ear 3	14	38
Ear 4	16	38	Ear 4	18	36
Ear 5	18	38	Ear 5	18	25

Average Kernels/Ear	626	B	Average Kernels/Ear	560	B
Kernal Weight Factor	75	C	Kernal Weight Factor	75	C
Yield (15.5%)	167		Yield (15.5%)	157

Corn Stop 17: Last field of the tour happened to be the mature. Black layer and drying down.

Corn Stop 17: 184 bu/ac, dryland, no-till, corn-after-soybeans, black layer.

Row 1			Row 2 (Adjacent Row)
Ear Count	23	A	Ear Count	26	A
	Rows	Length		Rows	Length
Ear 1	20	35	Ear 1	18	39
Ear 2	18	34	Ear 2	18	36
Ear 3	16	33	Ear 3	18	22
Ear 4	16	34	Ear 4	16	37
Ear 5	18	39	Ear 5	18	33

Average Kernels/Ear	617	B	Average Kernels/Ear	586	B
Kernal Weight Factor	80	C	Kernal Weight Factor	80	C
Yield (15.5%)	177		Yield (15.5%)	191

Soybean Stop 16: The most mature soybean field I stopped at during the tour, dropping leaves.

Soybean Stop 16: 36 bu/ac, dryland, conventional till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
16	30	100	419	2.0	19	36

Soybean Stop 17: Thickest stems that I cut during the tour. Happened to save the best till last. Lots of pods and with decent seed size.

Soybean Stop 17: 89 bu/ac, pivot irrigated, conventional till.

Stop	Row Spacing (inches)	Plant population (k/ac)	Pods per 1/10,000 Acre	Seeds per Pod	Seed Size Factor	Final (bu/ac)
17	20	170	746	2.6	18	89

If you made it this far and scrolled for that long, thank you for taking the time to read the full 2016 crop yield tour report for Dodge County. Good luck with harvest and feel free to comment on this blog post with your actual harvested yield reports!

Crop Tech Cafe: Know your crop, know your tech, know your bottom line.