News
Stalk quality a priority
An agronomist says farmers should consider harvesting higher moisture corn this fall if stalk quality is a concern.
Tyler Steinkamp covers eastern Iowa for Winfield and says warm nighttime temperatures and wet weather around pollination stressed many corn acres, leading to tip-back in some varieties.
He tells Brownfield these conditions could also lead to stalk rot-something growers need to be on the lookout for.
“Usually the ones that are going to have the worst stalk quality is when you go out in the field and see a couple plants here and there that are already dead, whereas the rest of (the plants) are all green. Those fields are definitely ones we’re going to want to keep an eye on.”
The loss of leaf area below the ear is another indicator, and farmers can also pinch the stalk to make an assessment.
Steinkamp says this is a year where stalk quality should override maturity in deciding when to harvest.
“You can lose stalk quality very quickly, and those plants that are already dead at this time…it’s very hard to pick them up (when harvesting) and you lose quite a bit of yield out of that. It looks like drying costs this year will be a little bit cheaper (s0) it’s probably going to pay to get that corn out earlier.”
In addition to the potential for stalk rot, he says ear rot is already showing up in parts of southern Iowa.
Brownfield spoke to Steinkamp at the 2016 Farm Progress Show.
Add Comment