Farmers harvesting soybeans perform well in ND

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Many crops have been combined this harvest season, but there are still a few left.

Many farmers collect soybeans, which are used to make byproducts like tofu and candles.

Before Jen Meyer can harvest, she prepares her combine because the soybeans are ready to go.

She farms outside of Baldwin and said plantings are everywhere this year.

She said everything arrived on time but they had to work around snow and mud but everything went well.

“This year the soybeans are looking really good, given that we had less rainfall at the end of the summer. But from what we’ve seen, we’ve had a lot of four-grain pods, which is not uncommon, but there are a lot more than in previous years,” said farmer Jen Meyer.

She said the more beans per pod, the better.

She said the beans handle heat and temperature changes well and like humid weather.

She said they grow well in many different soils.

So it is always a good option for crop rotation and changing markets.

“The soybean market has been growing steadily recently. They were down from last year, so it’s a little harder to budget with that. But in terms of this year’s budget, it was a good choice, a very good choice. And our soybeans are kind of on the rise,” Meyer said.

She said she’s seen more people growing soybeans, especially in the western part of the state.

She said the only problem this year was hail.

“We probably suffered between 90% and 10% damage, over just one square kilometer. So, it’s not going to be fun to go through these areas, but you have to, you have to acquire them everything you know,” Meyer said.

Fortunately, she said it was a good harvest.

North Dakota is a leading exporter of whole soybeans.