The harvest season will be coming up over the next two months and Indiana is expected to have an above average corn production year.
The pace of the 2016 corn and soybean harvest will likely depend on the varieties planted in local fields, and Purdue Extension Agricultural Educator Phil Woolery says each farmer will treat their crops differently as well.
“The different varieties of corn and soybeans, they’re going to have a certain number of growing days,” says Woolery. “It depends how long it takes for them to mature. So you’ll have some where it takes longer to mature than others.”
At this point in the growing season corn remains relatively green, but Woolery says it’s only a matter of time before the plants begin to dry down. Ideally, he says farmers will be looking for 15% moisture content.
Others may harvest sooner and use a dryer for the storage of corn. Drier grains typically suffer from fewer mold problems and using the process may save some farmers money, according to Woolery. Ear rot has been reported in certain portions of the Hoosier state.
He says soybeans will go through a similar process in the coming weeks.
“For soybeans, they’re looking for when the leaves start dropping off and falling,” says Woolery. “Turning yellow and falling off, drying. In soybeans, they don’t want it to dry down too much because that’s bad for the soybean.”
Spring rains impacted planting modestly in 2016 in Starke and Pulaski County. Weather conditions are expected to have an impact on the pace of the harvest as well.
