Soybean Harvest

The article below, copied from the website following, is an Ontario soybean report:

Soybean Report

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Weekly Soybean Field Crop Report - October 4, 2006
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Posted on October 5, 2006 at 16:06:35

Soybeans

Harvest progress has been slow the past two weeks. Yields reported to date have been average to excellent, but it is too early too provide any provincial estimates.
Soybeans harvested at higher moisture levels than desired for storage, can be dried in several types of high or low temperature driers or with aeration, but care must be exercised. The high oil content of soybeans makes them more susceptible to spoilage than corn.

Soybeans are fragile and can be easily damaged by air that is too hot or too dry, but also by rough handling.

The relative humidity of the drying air must be kept above 40% to prevent seed coats from splitting. The maximum drying temperature for drying soybeans is 55 – 60°C (130 -140°F). Seed soybeans should be dried at temperatures below 40°C (104°F). Ask your seed company what method of conditioning of tough seed beans it prefers. Monitor split seed coats during drying to gauge the drying effect. Avoid dryers that stir the grain or recirculate to minimize seed damage. Soybeans have about 25% less airflow resistance than shelled corn, so fans sized for corn drying will produce greater airflow through beans resulting in faster drying. Beans can also be dried with natural air under good drying conditions. Do not run the fan continuously, since soybeans both give up and take on moisture easily. The fan should only be run when the outside conditions will result in drying progress. If conditions are wet, supplemental heat may be required. Heating the air lowers the relative humidity. Heating air by 6.7°C (12°F), reduces its relative humidity by ½ as a rule. To remove moisture, the minimum airflow required is 3/4 cfm/bu. An accurate moisture tester and method of measuring relative humidity is essential to monitor drying. For further information consult the website OMAFRA Agronomy Guide.

-Courtesy of Horst Bohner, OMAFRA Soybean Specialist "
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I saw the first soybean combine in our area yesterday, Friday, October 6.

(In addition to my desk computer still being in the shop, now Blogger is not loading my photos. Sigh! I will put the photos on my Flickr site for now and try later to get them on this blog.)