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Harvest approaches
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[SEPT.
8, 2003]
We have gone from a
dry August to one that was on the wet side -- all in one weekend.
What effect did that have on crops? Probably not very much on the
corn side, but soybeans received a great boost from the rains. The
most popular question is, "What will the corn make?" The answer is,
"It depends, and it will vary."
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For those wanting to do some
yield estimates, there is one of those handy-dandy yield calculators
online from the U of I. This is for corn, and the URL is
http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/iah/ch2/
est_corn_yield.html.
For soybeans, it is much more
difficult. Try the "four soybeans per square foot" rule (that equals
a bushel). This is more reliable than counting pods, since the
number of beans in a pod varies so much.
Diseases are showing up in both
corn and soybeans. Both stalk rots and ear rots are visible in some
places. Make sure stalk quality is checked, and schedule fields for
early harvest if they will have standability problems. Management
will go a long way in harvesting what you have grown and being able
to get it sold.
For more information on stalk
rots, try the Iowa State Web page at
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/
plantpath/extension/Stalkrots.html.
For ear rots, try
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/
plantpath/extension/earkernal.html.
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this article]
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Combines began slowly last
Friday, with a few loads of corn being harvested. Moisture was
running between 30 percent and 34 percent. When considering whether
to harvest early and capture some old-crop premium, carefully figure
drying cost, potential field losses and your time.
Farm Progress Show
We
receive many requests each year for information related to the Farm
Progress Show. This year is no exception, as the show is being held
in east-central Illinois. Dates are Sept. 23-25 for the show near
Henning. The Farm Progress Show site on the Web contains most of the
other information at
http://www.farmprogressshow.com/
ME2/Audiences/default.asp.
[John
Fulton]
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