By Gary Stone
Much needed dry weather has been the norm for the last several days in the Panhandle. This has allowed growers to get into the fields and complete dry bean harvest.
Growers have been spending many long hours in the fields, cutting and windrowing dry beans early in the morning before the sun comes up and then staying long hours into the night combining the crop. Dry bean harvest should be 80%-90% complete by the end of the week.
While the warm, dry weather has helped with dry bean harvest, it has slowed sugar beet harvest. On some days the number of acres that could be harvested has been limited. This is done to minimize pile loss. Warm weather causes the sugar beets to break down in the piles much faster.
Also, some growers are harvesting high-moisture corn for area feedlots. As dry bean harvest winds down, more corn will be coming out of the fields.