Fall is in the air, which means farmers across the country are busy harvesting, including United Soybean Board director Belinda Burrier, who farms with her husband, David, in Union Bridge, Maryland.
“We harvested 40 acres of soybeans and 60 acres of corn before the rain stopped us,” says Burrier. “We still have 500 acres to go, but it is a good start to make sure the machinery’s running well.”
Farmers along the Atlantic coast have been dealing with an unusually wet fall due to heavy rain from both inland weather patterns and the effects of Hurricane Joaquin. Burrier estimates that her farm received at least 5 inches of rain from the storm.
“Everybody around us is stopped because of the rain,” says Burrier. “Once it stops raining, it may take three to four days for the fields to dry out before we can get going again.”
Looking on the bright side, Burrier has had plenty of time to spend in the shop making equipment repairs and finishing other indoor tasks.
“That’s one of the advantages of having a rainy day—you can go ahead and wipe out everything that needs to be done,” she explains. “The last thing we want to be thinking about when we get back in the combine is all of the jobs that need to get done.”
Once Burrier is back in the field, she’ll deliver the soybeans she harvests to a mill about eight miles away. Like many soybeans in the area, they will be processed and used as poultry feed. Specifically, soybeans from Burrier’s farm will likely be sold to a nearby turkey farm or to Perdue. Burrier also has about 90 acres of high oleic soybeans, which will also wind up at a Perdue plant that accepts these premium soybeans.
“This is our first year for high oleic soybeans,” says Burrier. “We’re not sure yet what the yield will be, but different farmers we’ve talked to said they’re comparable to other soybeans.”
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