07.07 - What Can You Expect This Fall?
Harvest is always a mystery until you get into it, right? However, it shouldn’t be. At AgVenture Seed our motto is "There should be no surprises." That is, we want our customers to know what to expect before they harvest. The key is knowing what to look for when walking fields. Too many growers simply look at the stand ear size or pod number and try to guess the yield. While that is fun to do, we use other important parameters to check for crop progress that you may want to consider when surveying your crop.
First, stop looking for yield. Yield was determined very early, now you must manage plant health if you are to achieve those pre-determined yields. Look for field health. Field health dictates every other aspect of the field including time of harvest, harvestability, harvest moisture, grain quality, and ultimately yield.
Second, if possible, fly over the field. This will allow you to check for uniformity, which cannot be seen when walking through it. If you can’t fly over it, view it from all sides. Get as close to the field as possible and take position as high as possible so you can look over the field. Standing in the bed of your pickup truck is usually a good vantage point. Make notes on the differences you see from side to side.
Third, take ear, pod or head samples from all sides of the field. Again, we are not surveying yield. Keep your eye on plant health. These fruit samples indicate the stage of maturity and how long you will need to keep applying water and other nutrients. Remember, with corn, you NEVER stop watering until the kernel shows black layer.
Fourth, perform autopsies. Take your AgVenture scouting tool and split stalks vertically so you can look inside the entire length of the stalk. Look for discolorations, pale appearance or indications of insect or disease feeding. Don’t do this on the ones that are already showing the symptoms, do it on the ones that look healthy. These are the plants that cause "surprises" at harvest time.
There need not be any surprises when you harvest your corn and soybean crop this fall. Take your AgVenture Agronomist with you and have him show you how to prevent any surprises that may be waiting to catch you off guard. With some well planned observation, you can have the best crop you have ever raised, despite mother nature’s antics.
Terry’s Corner
This growing season is going by so fast, and if you don’t believe me just look at the crop. We saw tassels on our farm earlier this summer than ever before. Part of the reason is that we got an earlier start planting, but the other reason is our AgVenture varieties never stop growing. Those of you who have toured our Clarksdale location have witnessed this. If you haven’t had the opportunity to come to our office and facility here at Clarksdale, please take time to visit. You will see new varieties and technologies never before planted in the south. You will have the opportunity to tour our farm and plant facility to see our 300 bushel goal fields as well as how John Belding, our Director of Seed Quality is able to put such high quality seed in the bag. You will also have the opportunity to guess the yield of the varieties in our test plot. This year we’re giving away two new 12 guage shotguns to the two growers who are closest to guessing the highest yields.
Did You Know?
The first 300-bushel per acre corn in the U.S. was grown in Mississippi in 1952.
Agronomy Corner
Corn requires approximately 0.25 inches of water per day beginning at the 12 leaf stage. It can go as high as 0.3 inch per day at tasseling.