1. Announcements

A few things:

1. Corn silage harvest has begun in earnest, but many fields are not yet ready due to the early-season planting delays and subsequent dry weather. See section three to see just how variable corn maturity is likely to be around the region (based on silking dates).
2. With the dry weather, keep an eye on your corn silage maturity and DM ahead of silage harvest (as though you weren't already…). If the crop is less than mature enough to begin its true, physiological dry-down phase (DM in the 20s), the typical dry-down 0.5% DM increase per day may not be as predictable. And when plants are stressed, DM may not rise as quickly as you would expect. And a shot of rain (maybe early next week?) may actually delay true dry-down as the plant simply reinvigorates its development. If a plant is truly in the dry-down phase, rain shouldn't affect that too much. However, if the rain misses us, crops may be drying up ahead of the physiological dry-down associated with actual crop maturity. So, as ever, keep an eye on DM and on the forecast! See this article by Joe Lawrence for more details.
3. Is it too dry to plant winter grains? Will the seed simply get eaten by birds or bugs before it has a chance to germinate? Unfortunately, we don't have a good answer. If it's a cover crop for forage, feed, or soil fertility purposes, the answer may be to simply bump up the seeding rate and go for it. But for a higher-value grain crop, right now it seems like it may be best to remain patient and see whether next week actually provides moisture. An exception may be fields with recently terminated vegetation, which likely have some existing moisture. And then cross your fingers for rain to keep them going. As usual, your own field conditions will dictate the best course. If your conditions aren't right for what you're trying to do, don't let your neighbor's activities cloud your judgement!
4. Some of us may experience a frost this Friday night. It's not at all clear how severe it may be, but early indications are that it's more likely to be a light frost and not a killing frost or freeze. But this also raises questions about silage. Dry, dead leaves may be deceiving when it comes to whole-plant DM - See this article by Larry Chase for harvest considerations for not-quite-mature corn following a frost.
5. Back to the dry conditions - even though the drought monitor map may not call it a "drought", please contact your local FSA if you know you're experiencing yield losses. Crop losses need to be reported to get attention:

• Chenango: 607-334-3231
• Saratoga: 518-692-9940
• Schoharie: 518-295-8600
• Otsego: 607-547-8131
• Madison:315-824-9076
• Herkimer: 315-866-2520
• Fulton/Montgomery: 518-853-4015

2. Pests and Disease

Fall armyworm adult numbers remain low, but be on the lookout for damage from larvae:

3. Growing Degree Days (GDD) (See: Climate Smart Farming Growing Degree Day Calculator)

Growing degree days (GDD) are calculated by taking the average daily temperature and subtracting the base temperature for development of a given organism ((High + Low)/2 - base temp = GDD). For corn silage, we are using base 50/86, as corn development starts at 50 degrees F and ceases above 86. Check your location and planting date.

The silking dates in section 2 begin July 17th, when I first saw tasseling in the region - so this does not mean that every crop in your particular area tasseled on that earliest date. Your crop may have tasseled on or more closely to one of the later dates. So While our GDD tables in section 2 can get you in the ballpark, check your own whole-plant DM to make sure you're ready, and not ahead/behind schedule!

Remember: Silage corn needs 750-800 GDD (depending on hybrid maturity) after silking to reach a whole plant DM of 32%. Under typical late season dry down conditions we can expect the crop to reach 35% DM four to seven days later. We can expect to accumulate 15-25 GDD per day, or even up to 30, so peak maturity can creep up on us quickly. But no matter what the numbers say, always check your crop to see how close you may be to harvest. For more details, see this article.

• Blue: Time to make plans (35% DM anywhere between 5 - 11 days from now, depending on maturity)
• Green: Gas up the harvester and the trucks (35% DM in 2 - 8 days, depending on maturity)
• Yellow: See you in the field (35% DM imminently):
• Red: It's either already in the bunk or it's going for high-moisture corn or it's going in the bin for grain (DM likely > 35-40%)

See you in the field!