Posted by Gerald J. on October 11, 2008 at 14:41:00 from (4.254.70.179):
In Reply to: Drying Corn posted by 37chief on October 11, 2008 at 12:14:39:
Because as the corn dries in the field the stalks get rotton and can drop the ear or the whole stalk. Sometimes a wind comes along and pushes over the whole field (Pioneer corn is famous in Iowa for that) and then harvest losses are enormous and harvest is very slow with much combine damage possible from inhaling rocks along with the corn.
With LP under 50 cents a gallon, and without corn with BT for killing off stalk borer, university research said picking corn at 21% was optimum to get the best yield. That the cost of drying was less than the loss of yield from ear drop and stallk rot. Today, with BT in the corn to hold off the stalk borer and the high cost of LP, I'm sure the optimum moisture is a little lower.
As the corn matures it takes nitrogen from the stalk to finish the ear and that makes the stalk weak. Heavy fall rains or early snow softens the stalk too. My corn did that nitrogen extraction last year and as I watched it I knew it was time to harvest, not to wait two days. It came in at just under 15% average which the elevator charged me for drying to 14, but didn't actually dry it except with air.
And then its known that the more days to maturity, the greater the crop, but extending those days in any particular latitude means most years the corn won't be dry enough to store (13% for long term storage, though putting in bins in the fall at 15% and blowing air without heat will get the corn down to 13% before spring) without drying. The added yield can pay the cost of drying and then some. Right now much Iowa corn is way too wet to pick and dry so it stands much later into the fall than normal because of a wet and cold spring that held it back or prevented timely planting. Parts of some fields were planted three times and still have lakes in them from later summer rains. I lost beans planted in July to wet ground from late July rains.
Look for ISU Extension on line and look for extension bulletins on profitable corn production for more details.
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