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Some corn stalk degradation in Wisconsin

Chopping corn 2015

There appears to be a fair amount of stalk degradation in corn fields in Central and Western Wisconsin. Mike Weiss, Technical Agronomist with DEKALB/Asgrow says it is mainly south of Highway 29. He believes there are two reasons for it: one is from Northern Corn Leaf Blight which shut-down some varieties early and left them susceptible to soil-borne stalk diseases. The other contributing factor was the heavy rains and wet conditions in some areas which led to nitrogen leaching. “Those plants had to cannibalize other parts of the plant to develop the ear and that led to anthracnose or Fursarium.

Weiss encourages producers to go through their fields and prioritize their harvest. If there is an opportunity to take a field for silage or high-moisture corn, “certainly consider that.” Weiss says the plants which shut-down early will likely have lighter bushel weights and those that were short on nitrogen could have some underdeveloped ear ends. One positive, the corn should be drier than usual because of the early shut-down.

Weiss talks about what he is seeing;

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