Combines Raising SoybeansIJ

[The_Red]

Check with your local ag expert but I would think you are too far north with not enough heating days to grow a good crop of soybeans. Stress on the combine is far less than shelling corn. I would say the stress is slightly more than harvesting wheat. Your drill at 7 inches would be fine. We plant all no-till beans in East Central Indiana with 7.5 inch rows.

 

[Grain_Reaper]

I always thought we were to far north too, but the other night there was a guy on the local news from Rugby, ND (50 miles north of our farm) that had 360 acres of soybeans in. They talked about seeding a new variety called Jim. We definently get enough rain fall, about 16 to 20 inches so far this year and the months of July and August are usually fairly warm. The farmer from Rugby said he well satisfied with the yield of his soybeans and he figured that he probably didn't have much more invested in it than any other crops he had. What about rocksIJ We have some fields here with only a few rocks, do they bother when it comes time to harvest. Can you adjust the angle of the gaurds on these flex heads so the cutter bar floats over the top of any rocksIJ How about using a roller to push any rocks into the ground after the beans are upIJ Any info would be a big helpIJ The only soybeans I have ever cut were in south central Nebraska when I helped a nieghboor, who is a custom harvester, move south for fall harvest. Thanks!

 

[The_Red]

Rocks are a problem regardless of what type of head you are using. Go slow and be ready to yank the table up as you approach a rock. One of my neighbors wasn't quick enough the other night resulting in two "missing" horizontal augur fingers.

 

[Grain_Reaper]

Thanks alot for the info. My dad and I are going to try about 80 acres of soybeans next year. We have about 500 acres of land that would be suitable for beans if they turn out good. I'll have to let you know how they turn out. We've decided to go with a Roundup Ready variety because it seems to be the fool proof way to kill weeds. At least that is how it seems with the Roundup Ready canola. Do you usually try to start harvest while the beans are a little wet to cut down on crackageIJ We have a couple "air bins", will they dry 16% moisture beans down to 10% to 12% moisture. How should we set the combine ('82 8820)IJ Thanks.

 

[F_armer]

If you guys have rocks, I would definitly recommend rolling them. Here in Sask. we grow peas, and lentils on some rocky soil, and we roll everything. We never have to worry about stones after rolling. You may be able to rent one. Here its about $1.25-$1.50 acre, well worth it. If you have big stones make sure you find a heavy roller, Degelman makes a good roller.

 

[The_Red]

Well good luck on your soybean adventure next year. We don't run beans until they are down to 15% or less. We run the cylinder speed at 600 rpm give or take and the fan at around 1,000 on the 6620. The concave opening is about half way between wheat and corn.

 

[Duane]

I put in 165 acres this year to try them out. They were a Pioneer Roundup Ready variety. They are still in the field but hope to harvest this week. The 4 inches of snow last week stopped my Canola and Durum harvest for a bit as well as Soybeans. I seeded in 12" rows with my John Deere 9350 Drill. I am borrowing a 30 foot John Deere Flex head with Crary air reel and also am going to use one combine with the John Deere 936 Draper head. I will use draper head in flatest past of field if I can get the cutterbar low enough - need to see it if works. (John Deere 7720 II and 9610) The moisture of my beans are too dry right now and will probably put in an air bin to condition them to best moisture level (NDSU has literature on using humidity and temps to condition soybeans without "adding water" to them) By the way my land is located along highway 2 in North Dakota between Minot and Grand Forks.

 

[Grain_Reaper]

Hello Duane. I am located about 65 miles southeast of Minot. I was wondering did you innocculate the soybeansIJ How do you do itIJ Would it be possible to spread the innocculant through a Valmar or Gandy applicator on the cultivatorIJ You'll have to let me know how your beans turn out.

 

[Duane]

The inoculant was a peat based powder that I spread on the seed when I was putting it in the drill. No problem to use. I just had a rubber glove on and then mixed some inoculant each time I added a couple bags to a drill and then repeated the procedure until the drill was full. It gets old very fast to haul bags of seed into the 9350 and I see why people like to use bulkd bags and air seeder tanks. I used a John Deere 9350 drill with every other opener closed up to get 12" rows on the soybeans. I should have harvested last week but when I was ready - we got 4 inches of snow. Finished the canola last night, will take off the last of the $.70 durum today and then do the soybeans. I will get you the results.

 

[Nels]

I beleive that you are also supposed to mix water in with the innoculant. We did for the first time this year and we're seeing 55 to 60 bu yeilds. How did the beans canopy at 12" rowsIJ We use 7" and aim for 225,000 to 250,000.