By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Area farmers have begun harvesting soybeans.

“I don’t think anyone is bragging about the crop,” Joe Bartel at the Hillsboro grain elevator said.

The beans are small and lighter than full test weight, and those that are too small take a dock at the elevator.

With hot fall weather, high moisture in the grain hasn’t been a problem. One farmer said some of his beans were dry but had a green color, which led to a dock in price.

For farmers who have crop insurance, adjusters have been surveying fields to determine whether they are worth the cost of harvesting.

Much of the unharvestable crop has been or is being swathed and baled.

Marion elevator manager John Ottensmeier said farmers had been reporting yields 10 to 15 bushels per acre, less than half a normal good yield.

“Nobody is excited about bean harvest this year,” he said.

“Harvest has just begun,” Bartel said, “so it’s hard to tell if it will get better.”

The price of soybeans has been trending down for several weeks. peaking around $14.50 earlier in the fall, but stood at $12.26 Monday.