By Colden Bradshaw
It has been a little over four months since I started my role as the field crops extension agent here in Sampson County. I have been delighted to meet many growers in the county and have enjoyed learning about them and their farming operations. If I have not stopped by your farm or met you yet, please reach out to me; I would be happy to stop by and chat.
With harvest in full swing this fall, it is time for many to begin thinking about how the year has gone and even begin planning for next year. It has definitely been a year like no other, and it seems that is something we say every year now. I want to provide a short recap of some of the things I saw or was made aware of throughout the season. As Sampson County wraps up corn harvest, growers have reported a range of corn yields, anything from not worth harvesting to 120 bu/ac are some responses I have heard this year. Additionally, growers are wrapping up cropping tobacco. With a dry start to the year, we saw slow growth early in the season, and the county stayed dry through most of the summer. In late July, heavy showers drowned tobacco in some areas. August and September remained relatively hot and dry, leading to some sunscalded tobacco. Harvest of early-maturing full-season soybeans is also underway, with many growers surprised by their yields. I look forward to hearing how our later-maturing and double-crop soybeans fare.
I expect wheat acres in Sampson County may remain about the same as last year, or even decrease slightly this year. For those that do intend to plant wheat this year, consider using the variety selection tool to help make variety decisions and base those selections on multi-year, local data where applicable for the varieties that are available to you.
Source : ncsu.edu