Harvest Information at One Location

Crop harvest is going slow if and when it is going at all. The latest USDA estimates have the Kentucky corn crop at about 70 percent harvested and the soybeans at about 35 percent harvested. As you sip on some coffee, check the markets and wonder what this weather is doing to your crop, be sure to take a look at an excellent compilation of the latest information about the harvest:
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Frost Damage and Corn Silage Options

The recent freezing temperatures essentially stopped corn growth for most of Kentucky. Farmers that had corn planted late for silage are wondering if the corn crop is still suitable for silage. The following is a brief summary, mostly from AGR-183: Late Season Frost-Damage to Corn for Silage.

Corn will ensile well at moisture levels less  than 70% for upright silos and less than 75% moisture

Watch for Gibberella Ear Rot in Corn

Paul Vincelli, Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky

Last month, I wrote an article about Diplodia ear rot, our most common corn ear rot in Kentucky. Diplodia has no known associations with mycotoxins in corn. Gibberella ear rot is associated with mycotoxins and in some cases may look very similar to Diplodia. Normally, Gibberella ear rot is not a widespread problem in Kentucky, but this is

"Yield Penalty" in Corn after Corn: Could Root-Attacking Organisms be the Cause?

Paul Vincelli, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Kentucky
John Grove, Research Agronomist, University of Kentucky
Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky

For decades, mono-cropping without rotation has been known to often result in reduced yield. Indeed, long-term studies at the University of Kentucky show that first-year corn-after-corn commonly experiences a "yield

Cercospora Leaf Blight More Extensive than Usual

Don Hershman, Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky

Considering the cool, wet, and late year we have just experienced, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that certain late-season soybean fungal diseases are more extensive than usual. In a more typical year, crops that mature in late summer, especially early maturing varieties planted early, tend to experience the most intense foliar,

Corn and Soybean Supply and Demand and Harvest Progress Update

On October ninth the United States Department of Agriculture released their monthly crop report and latest supply and demand figures. In the October report USDA slightly increased both corn and soybean production over last month.

The October ninth crop report pegs corn production at 13 billion bushels, about 8 percent more than 2008-2009 crop. The USDA is expecting yields to be a record at 164.2

Frost and Potential Yield Losses

According the October 4, 2009 edition of the Crop and Weather Report, about 86% of the corn crop was mature. The first occurrence of a fall freeze is normally mid to late October in Kentucky. A freeze event on corn that is not mature can reduce yields, depending on the stage of kernel fill.

According to research conducted by Drs. TeKrony and Egli at the University of Kentucky, a freeze event

Corn Kernels Sprouting on the Ear

Kernels are sprouting in the ear in many fields around the state. Normally, these sprouts are occurring from the lower portion of the ear. The ears typically are upright, the husks are open, and water collected at the base. The kernels are at blacklayer (35% moisture or less) and the water in the husk allows these kernels to imbibe water and germinate.Sprouting kernels are not a direct hazard to

Fall Armyworm Flights Increase --- Again!

Fall armyworm (FAW) moth counts are again increasing in the UK-IPM pheromone baited trap at Princeton. This is not completely unexpected. We see some sort of flight increase about this time every year. As to whether or not it is important is really a matter of when the caterpillars appear in relationship to your crops.At present FAW counts remain lower than the numbers associated with the known

Corn Yields may be Hurt by Fungi

Sam McNeill, Extension Agricultural Engineer and Paul Vincelli, Extension Plant Pathologist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service

USDA’s mid-September crop report predicted record level corn yields for Kentucky of 155 bushels per acre. Coupled with increased acreage, the state’s production could top 175 million bushels, which is also a record.