How Farmers Harvest Soybeans

Last week, we talked all about corn harvest. This week it’s all about the soybeans.

Soybeans are quite a bit different than corn. Corn can stand in the field once it’s dry for a long time. While it’s not optimal, it can happen. Soybeans are not that way. Soybeans will pop out of the pods and fall to the ground where a combine can’t get to them. It’s imperative that soybeans are harvested timely.

Corn, you’ll remember, makes 100-200+ bushels per acre. Soybeans, significantly less, under 50 bushels per acre. The grain cart is very important in keeping corn hauled away from the field. In soybeans, not as much simply because there aren’t nearly as much of them.

Soybeans can be planted, just like corn. Soybeans can also be drilled with row spacing much less than 30″.

A soybean head for the combine isn’t divided into rows like a corn head is. It’s one solid piece that have cutters on the front. It is run on the ground and cuts the plant off. There is a reel that pulls the plants into the head once cut. Then there is an auger to bring the plants from the end of the head to the middle to put the plant through the combine.

The combine separates the soybeans from the plant and “trash”. The soybeans go into the combine bin, the rest is spread out the back of the combine. It provides cover and organic material back into the ground.

Just like with corn, the truck transports the soybeans to the on farm storage or to the elevator. Soybeans are a lot less intense than corn simply because of the difference in yield per acre. There aren’t as many to keep hauled away from the combine. Soybeans are tricky because they need to be harvested right.

Harvest is a stressful time of year no matter how hard we plan to make it not so. It’s the fruit of our labors. It’s 6 months of growing season. We get one chance to grow a crop of soybeans or corn in a year. The only redo is the next year. What questions do you have about soybean harvest?

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