Field Crop Update, September 14, 2023
Erik Smith, Area Field Crop Specialist/Team Leader
Central New York Dairy and Field Crops
1. Announcements and Weather Outlook
Corn silage harvest is here! …for some. Remember your silking date and check section 2 for a ballpark estimation of when your crop
might reach 35% dry matter. And the short-term weather should be good for dry-down:
2. Growing Degree Days See: Climate Smart Farming Growing Degree Day Calculator. Check your location, planting date, and silking
date. 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 (Remember that we can expect to accumulate 20-25
GDD per day or even up to 30, so it's not a large window). For more details, see this article. No matter what the numbers say, check your crop!
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 in less than a week):
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%)
Dairy
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Upcoming Events
El "Break" Info-Lechero 2025
September 3, 2025
September 10, 2025
September 17, 2025
September 24, 2025
October 1, 2025
October 8, 2025
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November 5, 2025
Dairy Spanish Webinar Series, free but registration required. Only available in Spanish.
Corn Silage Dry Down Day
September 12, 2025
Fort Plain, NY
Free event. No registration needed
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