Very Tall Beans in Southern Minnesota

Last Friday afternoon was the first day I got out to the farm in just over a month. My agronomist was scouting the fields and keeping me informed on crop development along with my dad. They told me I had very good weed control but I was still a little concerned as I saw a number of weedy bean fields heading out to the farm. I was pleased with the weed control in the corn and beans plus how the crops looked.

I walked into the bean field and was surprised at how tall they were. I had to park the car next to a bean field to show a perspective on the height of the beans. Many farmers get excited about very tall beans and project tremendous yields. Most times they are disappointed. In the past couple of days I have had a discussion about this with a couple of agronomists. When you have a very good growing season with lots of sunshine and moisture the beans put on a lot of vegetative growth. The nodes where they set pods are very far apart. There are not more pods but the same number on a taller plant. No question we have a great-looking bean crop. But tremendous yields? We will see when the combines roll.