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Corn is loaded into a trailer Friday, Oct. 24 north of Pipestone. The 2025 harvest is nearing completion with most of soybeans in the area harvested and around 60 to 75 percent of corn. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
Most soybeans have been harvested in the area and the corn harvest is thought to be around 60 to 75 percent completed.
Dausyn Pravecek, grain originator for CHS in Pipestone, said on Oct. 23 that the elevator had been very busy. He described the quality of this year’s harvest as great.
He said the corn started coming in dry and then some recent rain, dew and fog added to the moisture content. He said 14 to 15 percent moisture is ideal for corn and that the last couple days he’d been seeing around 16 to 16.5 percent.
As far as yields, Pravecek said he hadn’t heard much about anything under 200 bushels per acre for corn.
“I think the corn crop is outstanding as far as yields go,” he said. “I think people are really pleased with their corn yields in the area.”
Corn is piled up near the elevator in Holland as the 2025 harvest nears completion. The soybean harvest is mostly done. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
For soybeans, he said the yields were about average at around the mid 50s in bushels per acre. He said some expected that to be higher.
“I think the way they looked and the weather that we got, a lot of farmers were expecting a really really great crop and it came in average, I would say, yield-wise,” Pravecek said.
He said that could have been due to how dry the beans were coming in. Some got down to about 9 percent moisture and it would be ideal to get them at around 12 to 14 percent.
Pravecek said prices were lower than last year at harvest, but were trending upward. As of Thursday, Oct. 23, corn was at $3.67 per bushel and soybeans were at $9.71 per bushel, he said.
“The biggest thing I can say about the bean market is the demand side of things — China having no sales out of the U.S. as of now for our new crop here,” Pravecek said.
A combine harvests corn in a field south of Holland on Thursday, Oct. 23 The corn harvest is nearing completion and yields are reportedly looking good. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
There was, however, some optimism about a potential deal being worked out between the U.S. and China.
He said demand for corn has been strong, but the good yields put some pressure on the prices. Because of the big crop, he said, there are also big carries in the futures markets.
“We’re definitely seeing big carries in both the corn and the soybeans, meaning stuff that’s in the bins, just be looking at those carries for delivery in deferred months and I think that’s just super important as we just get through harvest here and then look for a plan for bushels that are in the bin and then even new crop for proactive planning, for marketing,” Pravecek said.