Friday, January 09, 2009

Alan Tiemann tries to get as much corn out of the field as possible before the rain comes during harvest north of Milford, Neb., on October 21, 2008. If farmers were able to get crops planted during a damp spring and can get them out during a wet fall, they have a bumper crop. (Matt Miller/Omaha World-Herald)

By DIANE WETZEL
The North Platte Telegraph

A wet spring, combined with less than average summer temperatures have delayed corn harvest this year.
"Normally, harvest is 75-80 percent complete as we approach Thanksgiving," said Kent Weems, branch manager of North Platte Ag Valley Coop. "Right now, we are running at about 35-45 percent, and some people are as low as 15 percent complete."

Weems estimates that only about 60 percent of the harvest will be completed before Thanksgiving.
Bob Klein, crops specialist for West Central Research Extension in North Platte said the delays getting into the fields in spring have pushed corn maturation back.

"Corn typically matures in September," Klein said. "When it does, it loses about 1 percent moisture a day."

Crops that mature in October lose about one-half percent of moisture a day, Klein said, with optimum moisture content at about 15 and a half percent.

The corn harvest coming into Ag Valley has been running between 18-20 percent moisture content, Weems said.

"That's too wet to store," Weems said. "It will go out of condition without extreme amounts of air circulating to dry it down."

Yields are expected to be good, Klein said, but short of last year's exceptional harvest.

"No bin busters this year," Klein said.