My banker paid us a vist today
!st was a strong recommendation to lock in propane prices as the USA corn crop is expected to be much wetter at harvest [This for the farmers amongst us]
Also some concern about the June planting being black layer before frost {we won't know until it happens], but it seems that the banking industry is keeping a close eye on how much of the corn crop will acutually be harvested. I was asked if and how much of our crop would mature by Oct 10 which is about the end of a normal crop yr "here"
I was not sure because we do not have livestock, but possibly those with livestock may have the bank asking if they will harvest enough corn to feed their usual corn needs.
The banker spent an unusual amount of time talking about how late this yrs crop was to maturity, and I don't think it was idle chit chat.
Nobody had a crystal ball.
SO: If the bankers are watching this corn crop, perhaps there is legitimate concern about being able to pay the bills or maybe the bank loan
Thanks Wayne,
I don't know anything about bankers but would bet there isn't anything special about that business that gives them unique insight.......that nobody else has about this years corn crop.
I can't guess about what this guy knows and doesn't know about growing corn but he is obviously paying attention to how late the crop was planted this year but I KNOW that he doesn't know what the weather is going to be like in September.
If we stay warm thru September, the corn crop will be fine.
I agree that late harvested crops are almost always wet. 2009 was by far the worst.
After the crop matures, there just are not as many warm sunny days left to dry it down in the field. Here's a good article about it:
http://www.channel.com/agronomics/Pages/Grain-Drydown-and-Timely-Harvest-Decisions.aspx
The ideal harvest moisture content for corn is between 22 to 25 percent. Corn drydown is linked to growing degree units (GDUs). Under ideal weather conditions, corn may lose up to one point of moisture per day. As the days get cooler, GDU accumulation per day decreases and grain drying slows. As a rule of thumb, 30 GDUs per moisture content point are required to lower the grain moisture content from 30 to 25 percent and 45 GDUs per point are required from 25 to 20 percent.1 This means that late-maturing fields may take two to three times longer to dry in the field.
Waiting for corn grain to dry to 18 percent moisture content in the field can certainly save on the energy bill, but it also increases the likelihood of excess harvest losses due to stalk lodging, ear drop, and detrimental weather, all of which can affect your bottom line.
About early freezes: