Dealing with dry beans

Q&A with a CCA with Stephanie Karhoff, CCA, Jason Hartschuh, CCA, Amanda Douridas, CCA, Greg LaBarge, CPAg/CCA, Ohio State University Extension (Adapted from the OSU CORN Newsletter)

Nearly the entire state faced abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions as the 2024 harvest got started in mid-September. The extended hot, dry conditions caused soybeans to rapidly dry down, and growers have reported moisture levels well below 10%. October is forecast to remain warmer and drier than normal, and producers may want to condition soybeans that were harvested at lower moisture contents to bring the moisture content up to the market standard of 13%.

Q: What is the impact of these low soybean moisture levels? 

A: On a 40-bushel-per-acre yield, harvesting soybeans at 9% moisture content, rather than 13%, is equal to 1.8 bushels of lost weight per acre. At $10.14 per bushel, that is $0.46 per bushel or $18.25 per acre. In addition, soybeans become more brittle, increasing the potential for handling damage when they are too dry.… Continue reading