An agronomist with Beck’s Hybrids says excessive rainfall in parts of the Corn Belt is negatively impacting stalk quality.
Trey Stephens covers eastern Nebraska and says while the majority of the corn crop has been harvested, what’s left is in terrible condition. “The longer that it sits out there the more prone it is to mold and have toxins. There is a little concern, but some of these issues are not widespread. However, grain quality and test weight in some places are down.”
He tells Brownfield, “That’s due to a lack of solar radiation during grain fill and then really saturated soils leading to crown and stalk rot, which leads to lack of nutrient flow to the ear.”
And, Stephens says, an extended harvest means that the window for fall field work is closing quickly. “If you’re redoing terraces or if it’s some cultivation that you need to do in some fields from how tore up it is after harvest, I would prioritize those and then wait for some of the other things you can do in the spring time.”
He says producers have been able to catch up during recent springs due to mild weather and that could be the case in 2027.
