Field Crop Update, August 16, 2022
Erik Smith, Area Field Crop Specialist
Central New York Dairy and Field Crops
1. Field Observations
Last week's report never came, so this week's report is early.
Similar to two weeks ago, Madison and Chenango counties remain "abnormally dry", along with eastern Schoharie and Saratoga Counties:
2. Growing Degree Days as of Aug 15th: 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.
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 this is not a large window). For more details, see: Record Silking/Tasseling Dates for Corn Fields
But no matter what the numbers say, always check your crop to see how close you may be to harvest:
3. Pest and disease monitoring
Crop foliage continues to be largely clean in terms of insect pests and diseases. I'm seeing some feeding damage by Japanese beetles and grasshoppers, but nothing major.
A. Western bean cutworm (WBC), true armyworm (TAW) and fall armyworm (FAW):
For the second straight week, numbers of these three moths have dropped in my traps, so this will be the last week for reporting numbers:
B. Potato leafhopper in alfalfa. Many fields have either just been cut or are nearing harvest:
*No action needed within a week of harvest.
Field Crop Update, August 16, 2022 (pdf; 405KB)
Upcoming Events
New York State Fiber Conference
June 9, 2024
Bouckville, NY
Theme for this year: Quality Matters
Announcements
Cash Rent and Custom Harvest Survey
To date, there is limited information available about rental rates and fees for crop harvesting. Farms can use this valuable information for their farm business planning to help improve decision making and profitability.Farmers Can Join MeatSuite For Free!
MeatSuite.com is a free resource provided by Cornell University where NY meat farmers can create a farm profile and list their bulk (wholes, halves, quarters) and bundled (i.e. Grilling Bundle) meat products.Why should farmers join?
1. It's free and easy!
2. Connect with more local customers. In the past year the MeatSuite.com farm directory had 8,300 visits from New York consumers. Farm profiles get as many as 25 views per month from potential local customers. We also spotlight MeatSuite farms on social media and bring attention and purchases to farms through highlights and giveaways.
How do I join?
Farmers can visit https://www.meatsuite.com/farmers/ to create a free farm profile. You must list at least one product for your farm's profile to go live. You'll also have access to Cornell's free Meat Price Calculator, a helpful tool for pricing your meat to make a profit.
While you're on MeatSuite, check out the "Creating Consumer-Friendly Bulk Meats" publication on the log-in page. It has tips on how to create bulk meat products that are easier for first-time buyers to say "yes" to.
If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, we're here to help! Please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu.