Mother Nature’s fickle behavior, and a number of other factors, portend a hit-and-miss type of fall harvest, Brian Regehr said.
“I’m not expecting any miracles for our corn or beans, although some farmers may have good reports.”
Regehr, along with son Cole and brother Dave, are best described as “hobby farmers,” he joked, because each has (or had) full-time jobs elsewhere.
Still, they work about 500 acres north of Iola with corn, soybeans and more than 100 head of cattle.
The Regehrs were likely within days of cutting their corn, although this week’s rainy spell will delay the harvest a while longer.
“We’ve just finished putting up about 1,700 bales of hay,” Regehr said. “Between baler issues and weather issues, we haven’t even gotten our combine out.”
“If you didn’t get your corn in early, it’s not dry yet,” Cole Regehr added.
Plus, the Regehrs grow a longer maturing corn than other varieties.
“We still have some (stocks) with ears tipped up,” Brian explained. “When it starts tipping down is when the rain won’t get trapped, and it dries up quite a bit quicker. We’re getting awfully close.”
An abnormally cool and wet start to the summer delayed planting, and while the conditions weren’t conducive to corn and beans, they were perfect for weeds and pests.
The Regehrs’ haying work took a hit when an army worm infestation cost them an entire pasture of brome.
“We just cut ours too late,” Brian said. “It was a pretty decent brome field, and they just terrorized it.
“The weed pressure for the corn will likely give us some real varied results,” Brian added. “We have some really good stuff and really bad stuff.”
The late summer weather’s sporadic storms, with neighboring counties receiving drenching rains with the Iola area often getting little more than a trickle, also will have an effect.
Earlier this month, Westphalia received 3.8 inches of rain. Iola, barely more than 20 miles to the south, received a trace.
“We got a lot of little rains that help maintain the grass for the cows, and maybe hold the beans for the day,” Brian said.
