Oat harvest is underway in northern Iowa.
Zack Smith farms in Winnebago County and says he’s about a quarter of the way through his first oat crop.
“Had a breakdown here that stopped me for a couple days, but the yields have been probably 20 to 25 bushels more than what I was expecting. I think right now the field is averaging somewhere between 145 to 150 bushel oats, and moisture is right at 13 percent.”
He tells Brownfield high test weights are a nice surprise.
“You know, all the old timers say you can’t raise good test weight oats in Iowa, we need to get those from Canada. But my oats right now are testing anywhere between 38 to 40 pounds (right out of the field).”
Smith plans to establish a cover crop on his oat acres once harvest is complete and strip-till this fall for corn next spring.
