Our weather is continuing average – last year was hot with no rain, this year it is cool with record rainfall. The messed up growing season is finally coming to an end, but it is not over yet. The hurricane season is still cranking and the east coast water is warm which supports them coming up the coast. That could really make a mess. The second issue is successfully harvesting the crops we have out in what are still wet soils (September is forecasted to be cool and wetter than normal – not what we need!)
The corn crop is problematic on two fronts. First, because of the high soil moisture during the vegetative stage, the digestibility of the fiber will be lower than normal. Secondly, many fields are like the photo at right, with extreme variability of maturity and yields as you go across the field. Harvest decisions will be a mix of the science of farming and the art of farming as you make a judgement decision of when to start chopping particular fields.
Click here for full newsletter August 2017 seasonal management decisions