October 4, 2007

 

Soy harvest above-average in most of North Dakota

 

 

North Dakota's soy harvest is almost 70 percent complete, filling in some elevators while prices remained at US$8 a bushel.

 

Though this year's harvest is several days compared to last year, ideal conditions have some producers finished and others approaching 90 percent complete on their soy acres.

 

Pierce County farmers are getting close to completion, according to Ken Arens of the Rugby Farmers Union Elevator Co. As of Wednesday afternoon, he said the harvest of 36,344 acres was about 90 percent.

 

Overall, it's been a decent crop this season, said Arens despite receiving some hail damage in south of Rugby, totalling harvest at 20-bushels-per-acre range.

 

North and east of Rugby the result was a much better crop, according to Arens. He said most producers in that area hit 35 bushels per acre, while a select few topped out at 40 bushels per acre.

 

The cash price for soy Wednesday at Rugby Farmers Union Elevator was US$8.15 per bushel.

 

Bob Yri, the facility manager of BTR Farmers Co-op, said soy harvest Wednesday was moving along so well that the 1 million-bushel terminal between Leeds and Churchs Ferry was approaching capacity.

 

He said the harvest was 70 percent complete in the three counties his elevator serves - Benson, Towner and Ramsey.

 

Yri said they are currently getting two bins for another 500,000 bushels.

 

Yri said crop that are shipped from BTR Farmers Co-op are used for export, so typically there are no oil-content discounts. But despite the cash price dropping 47 cents on Tuesday, it remained strong at US$8.17 a bushel.

 

In addition, Yri said producers in the Lake Region are enjoying an above-average harvest, just as they did during the cereal-grain harvest.

 

The three counties combined produced an above-average crop from 154,932 acres.

 

Bottineau County producers, who planted just under 5,000 acres of soy this year, also had an above-average crop. However, yields were lower than those in the Lake Region.

 

Harvest was well above 50 percent complete on Wednesday, according to Bottineau County Extension Agent Tim Semler, and there were no disease issues that would have diminished yields. However, frost at the end of August, coupled with extreme heat in late July, stymied the growth of the crop.

 

Semler said yields are better than expected as it hits between 23 and 30 bushels per acre.

 

The cash price at the Bottineau Farmers Elevator on Wednesday was US$7.55 per bushel.

 

Soy harvest statewide was well above 50 percent and eastern counties were enjoying yields in the 40-bushels-per-acre range.

 

North Dakota has become a major player in soy production and ranks seventh in overall soy acreage in the United States.