This week USB farmer-leader Keith Kemp shared with us that it’s one of his best soybean yielding years. Currently he is finishing-up soybean harvest despite the delay with a couple rain showers.
Q: What have you been doing in the fields this week?
A: This week we have been busy harvesting soybeans which has gone smoothly so far. We started harvesting last Friday, and we would have finished-up today, but the weather is not cooperating. I would say seventy percent of Ohio’s soybean harvest is complete. Our soybeans are in good shape and the crops are standing well.
Q: How do you think your soybean yield this year will compare to last year?
A: Yields are better because we were affected by the drought last year. Yields on my farm have been extremely good this year – I would say it’s one of our best years.
Q: What are some challenges you are faced with this week?
A: Our soybean harvest this year has been a challenge. The soybean plants have green stem syndrome where the plant is still alive but the beans are dry. The stems are like rope, as opposed to breaking into little pieces, so we have had to slow our combine’s groundspeed which makes harvest take longer. Most equipment does not have problems with this as long as the soybeans are dry. Increased moisture and fungicide and insecticide treatment are most likely the causes of this syndrome. And weather is always a challenge as well in getting crops out of the field. We received more than four inches of rain two weeks ago, and some rain this week has delayed harvest. But we can always use this moisture for next year.
Q: What do you want your customers to know?
A: Our customers are really going to be happy with the quality crop we have produced this year. The test weights are good, the grain quality is excellent and Ohio will have plenty of soybeans to export again. We have grown a sustainable crop for our export business.
September 26, 2013
This week USB farmer-leader Keith Kemp shared with us that he is beginning to harvest his corn and soybeans, which look very strong this year.
Q: What have you been doing in the fields this week?
A: This week we started harvesting our corn crop. We are shelling corn and ran a Pioneer test plot that had very good yield. I anticipate we will start harvesting our soybeans by the end of the week.
Q: What’s one challenge you are faced with this week?
A: Our biggest challenge this week has been getting the new technology on our combines to work. We have been getting our mapping and field information set up.
Q: What do you want your customers to know?
A: We have been very lucky this year – it looks like we will have an abundant crop. Our corn yields in our test plot have been between 200 to 280 bushels to the acre and it looks like our soybeans will be between 60 to 80 bushels per acre. We are very fortunate because the crops are disease free and the quality will be exceptional this year. We will provide a good crop for our customers.
August 29, 2013
USB farmer leader Keith Kemp says that soybean fields in many areas of the Midwest could use a good rain – and his farm is no exception. Hot weather hit his bean fields last week. Since then, he’s been keeping an eye on the weather; hoping rain will come boost his soybeans for a better yield.
Q: What have you been doing in the fields this week?
A: We’ve been watching the fields mature and scouting for pests. In some neighboring fields we’ve seen a little bit of sudden death syndrome, a disease that causes root rot. Other than that, things look really good. The soybean field I shared in my photo two weeks ago hasn’t grown anymore, but the pods are filling nicely.
Q: What’s one challenge you are faced with this week?
A: The weather is our biggest challenge this week. Our soybeans have really podded well, but an inch of rain and cooler temperatures would help. That would help finish filling the pods out and get a bigger bean size. Overall, we’re still in pretty good shape. We feel fortunate here to have good soybeans here compared to some of the Midwest.
Q: What do you want your customers to know?
A: We’re going to have more than an adequate soybean crop this year. In the Midwest, however, I think the soybean crop is just going to be short. There’s going to be enough soybeans to supply everyone, but I don’t think we’re going to build any surplus this year.
August 19, 2013
This week we talked with Keith Kemp, a soybean farmer from West Manchester, Ohio. Keith is a farmer-director with the United Soybean Board. He shared with us that recent wet weather has encouraged pests and disease in his crops, but Kemp’s been busy making sure his crops have the protection they need to yield high.
Q: What have you been doing in the fields this week?
A: In the last week I sprayed all my double-cropped soybeans with fungicide. They’re looking really good this week. Some of my soybeans are close to being shoulder high. About two weeks ago, we sprayed all of our corn and soybeans with some applications of fungicides and insecticides. Overall, the crops really look good, and their yield potential is great. I just want to do everything I can to enhance yield.
Q: What’s one challenge you are faced with this week?
A: We’ve had a lot of cool evenings causing dew and moisture all the time. Disease pressures increase when we have wet conditions like that. With soybeans, some white mold and frogeye leaf spot, a disease that puts holes in the leaves and hurts the yield by sucking the chlorophyll out occur. We’ve even had some insects including the Japanese beetle and the Mexican bean beetle. In central Ohio, there has been some aphids showing up, but I haven’t seen them in southern Ohio yet. We haven’t experienced anything bad enough to impact our yields.
Q: What do you want your customers to know?
A: Our crops are exceptionally good throughout Ohio. We will have a better than average crop this year. However, we likely won’t be able to start harvesting as early as we want. Soybeans are going to stay greener longer, and probably take longer to mature. Though you never know what September brings. Soybean harvest for us is probably going to be around October 10. Other years, we start around September 20, so we anticipate being three weeks late.
June 26, 2013
Keith is currently serving his second year as a United Soybean Board director. He discussed with us some news about his soybean crop and how he concentrates on keeping his farm sustainable and environmentally-friendly.
Q: What do you have going on in the fields this week?
A: This week we just got done spraying all of our soybeans, so basically the crop is ready to set and we’ll wait to see if we have any adjustments we need to make. Also, the weather has been pretty dry but the moisture in our subsoil has allowed our soybeans to grow really well. The beans are anywhere from 4-12 inches right now.
Q: Are there any challenges you’ve experienced this week?
A: Everything is really running pretty smoothly, there aren’t many challenges out there. Insect wise, we aren’t experiencing any problems. Also, we aren’t having any trouble with resistant weeds because we’ve always had good weed control.
Q: What is one thing that you would like your customers to know?
A: Well, on our farm we are extremely sustainable, making sure we do everything we can to be environmentally friendly. In Ohio, we have high protein levels, which really allow our crops to grow well and produce a quality product for our consumers.
About Keith Kemp’s Farm: Keith raises soybeans, corn, and wheat and raises livestock on his farm with his wife, Betsy.
