Scattered rains help fall crops shine

Fall crops in central South Dakota are on a good path toward harvest after scattered rains mixed with hot days in early August.

Corn growth was a week or two behind normal, according to Gettysburg-based farmer Teddy Holzwarth. Stands are short, he said, but the ears it’s starting put on are a good size and counts are good.

“Most guys are pretty excited about corn right now,” Holzwarth said.

Soybeans were hurting a little in the compacted areas, but the majority of the field looks good. Sunflowers were enjoying the blend of heat and rain and were looking great, too.

Some areas caught nice rains of an inch and half while others received just a quarter inch and could use some more moisture.

“Everybody would feel a lot more comfortable if we had a big inch, inch and half rain come through,” Holzwarth said Monday, Aug. 18.

He finished harvesting spring wheat Friday, Aug. 15. Yields were variable, depending on whether the field got rain. He heard reports of yields ranging from 60 to 85 bushels per acre and very good quality overall. Test weights were good, but protein levels weren’t high, but high enough that farmers weren’t docked with a discount.

“I’m much happier with spring wheat than I was with winter wheat,” he said. “It was a tough year for winter wheat out here.”

He doesn’t plan to plant much winter wheat for next year’s crop due to low prices. He’ll plant enough to grow some certified seed and provide a residue cover where it’s needed to protect the soil.

Now that Holzwarth is out of the combine, he’s taking time to get things cleaned up and enjoying family time. His oldest, Thea, started school Tuesday, Aug. 19 and his younger daughter, Iris, will start pre-school after Labor Day.

He’ll be putting cover crops on winter wheat stubble. An oats-based mix will go on a field where waterways were recently planted back to grass. The cover is a requirement of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, but it’s also a good practice, Holzwarth said.

Cover crop will also go on low land where salt built up in wet areas. That mix will have barley, which uses the salt, turnips and radishes to break up hard pan areas, and lentils to help with nitrogen. Holzwarth said he’s had good luck using barley to fix saline areas, but it’s not a one-year fix. It’s important to keep something growing in those areas.

“We’re slowly gaining on this ground,” he said.

He’ll be out planting winter wheat around Sept. 10. Fertilizer will go down after that, and that will lead him into soybean harvest.

“We’re going to be busy,” he said.

On top of it all, pheasant hunting ramps up in late September. His Forest City Outfitters business has been booked with repeat customers and growing with a few new groups each year.