BLANCHESTER, Ohio — Corn farmers are making steady progress with their harvest despite facing a 40-bushel-per-acre decrease in yields this year, according to farmers I spoke with near Blanchester.
Roger Winemiller, a corn farmer, told me yields are down, but his harvest is ahead of schedule despite earlier concerns about a late harvest season.
"We are further ahead of schedule than what I thought we would be. I thought it would be a late harvest. All in all, we're moving along pretty well," Roger said.
But even with that, and drought conditions over the summer and fall, they're still dealing with damp produce.
After harvesting, corn requires drying before it can be sold at market if it's too wet. Todd Winemiller explained the conditions required for marketable corn.
"To be able to take it to market, corn needs to be at 15%," Todd said. "We're drying corn now. It shows at 27% and it's coming out at 15."
Farmers still need to use dryers to reduce moisture levels in their corn.
Rain during harvest season creates additional challenges for getting crops out of fields efficiently.
"Any amount of rain we get at harvest time makes things difficult to get the product out of the field," Todd said.
Todd and Roger acknowledge that despite using advanced technology, seeds, fertilizers and best practices, weather ultimately determines their success.
Watch farmers show the process of harvesting corn and the challenges they face:
"The farmer can use the newest and greatest technology and machinery, seed wise, fertilizer, and do the best practices possible but at the end of the day, it's out of your control. It's all up to Mother Nature," Roger said.
The harvest process involves continuous movement through fields using combines that can dump grain while moving, eliminating the need for frequent stops. For Roger, operating the combine provides more than just efficiency.
"I like fall harvest a little better than I do planting season because this time of year you see the rabbits running around, you see the deer running through fields, several days ago there was a bald eagle. You see nature at its best," Roger said.
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