Harvest Time

The warm weather that we have had the past month has really helped in the dry down of the corn. The crop is coming out in many areas and there has not been a fight with high moisture as we faced last year. Yields have been all over the place due to the different stresses that occurred in areas throughout the year. Hail storms, grasshoppers, spider mites, and early frost; these are just a few of the issues that you may have faced this year. It is a great time for our agronomists to spend some time looking on how to improve upon the yields when stress occurs to the crop. We are starting to build plans with growers for the 2011 season and evaluating the 2010 crop plays a big role in the process. We are getting a better understanding towards goss' wilt and the varieties that have better tolerance towards the issue. At this point we do not have a place within our territory that is 100% free of goss' wilt. This is something for everyone to keep in mind while selecting the hybrids to be placed on your acres. It is not too early to start placing orders for the seed that you will need for the 2011 crop. There are new genetics out this year so spend some time visiting with your agronomist about what is available. We have had many orders come in already and we urge everyone to at least lock in some of the seed that you will need. This will help you get the seed size that fits your operation better as well as the hybrids that will produce well on your ground. Corn acres should be up next year; seed availability won't last forever.