Farmers complete 'good' harvest posted Wednesday, October 31st, 2012 @ 12:42 pm  E-mail Story |  Print Story  The bulk of harvest operations parishwide had been completed by October's end, according to parish agriculture officials. Both LSU AgCenter Extension Agent Seab Brown, serving as county agent until the post is filled permanently, and Concordia Farm Service Executive Director Kevin Case, say 2012 was a successful year for many farmers. "The harvest was really pretty good," Brown said. "We have had record high commodity prices on grain sorghum, corn and soybeans," Case said. "These three crops make up the vast majority of row crop acres in Concordia." Harvest of the corn crop ranged from 125 bushels to as high as 240 bushels per acre. Brown estimated the average per acre yield at 165 bushels. Case said this year's corn crop -- which totaled 25,387 acres -- resulted in "the best yields ever. Record high yields for corn." Yields on the parish's 17,140-acre grain sorghum crop were about 100 bushels per acre, Brown said, while Case reported that yields ranged from about 90 to as high as 140 bushels an acre. "It was an above average crop," Case noted. Soybeans yields ranged from 30 to 60 bushels per acre with a majority of the acreage ranging from 40 to 60 bushels per acre, Case said. Brown estimated the average yield parishwide was 45 bushels per acre. Total soybean acreage in 2012 was 73,137. Case said that rice yields ranged from 160 to 185 dry bushels per acre on 10,608 acres. "It was a good crop," he said. The upland cotton crop totaled 20,286 acres with yields ranging from 800 to 1300 pounds an acre. Brown estimated that the yield was about two bales an acre, or about 960 pounds average. "This is an above average crop," Case noted, noting that fewer acres were planted this year. Wheat acreage totaled 8,327, Case said, while 1,734 acres was devoted to oats. For the full story, subscribe to the The Concordia Sentinel's NEW E-Edition!