1. Announcements

Silage harvest is well underway, and with the frost/freeze we experienced last night and with more potential frosty nights tonight and over the next 10 days, we're rapidly making our way into the heart of the harvest season - for not only silage, but grain crops as well. I saw lots of corn and soybean stubble driving through the region yesterday, and I know I'll see even more this afternoon. I've seen some cover crops up and out of the ground already, and I'm looking forward to seeing more winter crops emerging in the coming weeks.

For those whose silage crops may still seem just-this-side of the right maturity, here again is this article by Larry Chase for harvest considerations for not-quite-mature corn following a frost.

So this will be the last regular Field Crop Update of the 2025 growing season - thank you all for tuning in and giving your feedback - it means a lot, knowing that you're reading and finding this useful. Please keep the feedback coming! This is my way of not only sharing what I'm seeing and hearing, but also sharing what you are seeing and hearing. 

Stay tuned for updates regarding this winter's Central NY Dairy Days (Jan 13 + 14) and Corn and Soybean Days (Jan 20 + 21). Daniela and I will once again hold those events in both Hamilton and Ballston Spa. More details coming soon!

2. Weather Outlook

See images below, but to summarize, October is expected to be warmer and drier than normal, and we are looking at a La Niña fall (through at least December), so after Oct, the temp is expected to drop to normal or below, and precip may be wetter than normal:

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.

KEY:

• 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!