Harvest high or let it dry?

Many factors go into the decision of when to harvest your corn and soybeans. Maturity, weather forecast, location, available storage, and more all play into when the combine makes the first round.

Grain moisture is a crucial variable to consider, whether you’re trucking to the elevator or storing on your farm. An online calculator from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln analyzes multiple variables regarding moisture to help make the most profitable decision for your operation.  

“We were approached by a farmer who wanted to know the economic consequences of starting harvest at exactly the highest moisture he could, to see if there was any benefit to starting earlier,” says Cory Walters, University of Nebraska associate professor of agricultural economics. “We used discount schedules from several area elevators and also incorporated the theoretical side of what you gain or lose by delivering different amounts of moisture to the elevator.”

The online tool allows a farmer to input a range of moisture levels for both corn and soybeans, along with a base market price and a total number of bushels. The result is a cost difference per bushel.

“The calculator gives you a window so you can see what the average price would be if you started at, say, the highest moisture and had a discount, but you were able to end earlier so your moisture isn’t too low on the back end,” Walters says.

Online calculators

Although the calculator was created in Nebraska using local discount schedules, Walters says it can be used by farmers anywhere by plugging in their own price and moisture information. There are a variety of options, allowing you to find a schedule that matches your preferred location, or one that is very close. He also recommends using the calculator multiple times during the harvest season, as prices and conditions change.

“Of course, we recommend using it before harvest to help set your strategy of how you’re going to handle moisture and determine your start time, but things are going to change,” he says. “This provides a way to actually see some values and help conceptualize one aspect of things that can affect your crops. Once you understand moisture, you can start layering in other factors and you should be better off in the end.”

Read the entire bulletin here.