News

Rains may prevent dry down in the field

An agronomist in southern Minnesota says farmers that are battling significant rainfall should not let crops dry down in the field.

Dan Koehler with DeKalb/Asgrow tells Brownfield frequent rains can stress plants as they reach full maturity.

“Already when I was out scouting, I was starting to see stalk rots set in and ear mold.  And a lot of that I attribute to the moisture we’ve had.  So I think that is only going to get worse.”

He says it’s not only stalk quality that’s worrisome, but how the grain goes into storage.

“It’s all going to have to go through the dryer to get it down below 15 percent to help prevent grain spoilage in the bin.”

And prioritizing which fields to harvest first becomes more important in a year like this, Koehler says.

“All the fields are now going to have some stress, but the ones that I would look at first are going to be your early-maturing hybrids because they finish sooner.  So the stalk integrity might not be there.”

He says fields prone to wetness throughout the growing season should also be prioritized when making harvest plans.