Harvest
The challenge of harvesting high moisture and high disease pressure corn is not one that all farmers have faced in their lifetimes. Here’s some quick pointers to keep in mind as you tackle a tough crop to harvest and store.
The crop took it on the chin this season, with some Iowa farmers reporting huge yield losses as harvest gets underway. A one-time fungicide application helped, but it wasn’t enough to buck severe disease pressure, allowing it to return.
Tom Ritter was just weeks away from his 51st harvest, but an everyday task on the farm of cleaning out a grain bin with a vac turned fatal as a shelf of corn caved in on him in the bin.
Agronomic specialists are encouraging farmers to make their corn harvest plans now, prioritizing which fields to combine first and so forth. Evaluating how well the crop is standing on a field by field basis can help you plan the process and minimize having to pick up down corn.
High disease pressure and moisture variability could make for a tricky fall harvest season in the Midwest. Lean on these crucial combine settings adjustments to help you hang onto as many kernels as possible.
Kernel depth and fill contribute significantly to yield in newer hybrids. It’s one reason a ‘Hail Mary’ fungicide pass might still offer ROI and keep corn standing until combines roll.
The corn crop faced tight tassel wrap and other pollination challenges in 2025. Here’s what one Kansas farm does to minimize risk and safeguard yield potential.
Levels of concern could be elevated if the precipitation forecast doesn’t change.
Farm machinery manufacturers are releasing details on Model Year 2026 balers and hay tools that feature increased automation, data integration and enhanced designs to help cover more acres in a single day.
The onset of drought and disease are causing growing concerns about the size of the U.S. corn and soybean crops this year. Analysts caution while the crops may be going backward in terms of yield, it’s possible USDA actually raises its yield estimates in the September report.