Preliminary reports indicate that this year’s corn silage crop in some locations across the state may have suffered from the lack of early rains during pollination resulting in spotty or lack of ear development and/or reduced plant growth.

Corn in some fields in eastern Kentucky was flooded by recent torrential rain events. If soil temperatures are above 70 F, then corn will not survive if fully submerged for more than 24 hours.

Even with recent rains, some corn was too damaged by droughts to produce adequate yields. Some drought-stressed corn can be salvaged as cattle feed. Here are some things to consider if harvesting drought-stressed corn.

In a year that has had ups and downs for corn farmers, there is good news that corn disease pressure across the majority of the corn producing region of the state is very low.

If possible, let the corn get through pollination. Corn ears with less than 400 kernels per ear likely have yield loss. Corn with 300 kernels or less will likely have yield losses that trigger crop insurance.

Corn plants with thrips were observed in fields near the Cumberland River in Livingston County during the last week of May but as usual, rainfalls reduced thrip populations.

The current heat wave is expected to last until the end of June. There are some low chances of rain scattered in the forecasts. We need to start watching water use in corn across the state. The next two weeks could provide us with some strong indicators on expected corn yields this fall.

The Week #16 corn planting progress was only 10%, but corn planting progress reports from 2001 to 2021 show very little correlation between planting progress and yield.

Corn planting in 2022 is off pace from the five-year average for Kentucky with only 6% planted on the April 17 report. The calendar says we could have started planting corn April 1 in western Kentucky and April 15 in central and eastern Kentucky. The calendar suggests that we are behind. The weather and soil conditions suggest we are not.

Farmers are looking at sticker shock for some supply inputs and dealing with uncertainty around the availability of some other inputs. The issues have many producers thinking about where costs can be saved. The following are some suggestions for the first of December, heading into the 2022 season.

Corn planting for 2021 was ahead of schedule, yet harvest and several other developmental stages were behind. Milk, dough and dent were all behind the 5-year average.

Cover crops can take up excess soil nitrate, storing it in their tissue and then releasing slowly as they decompose. Using cover crops could be an efficient management practice to reduce N losses in landscape positions more subjected to intensive leaching.

The University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab in Princeton confirmed the state’s first case of tar spot on corn during the week of Sept. 13. Curt Judy, Todd County agriculture and natural resources extension agent, submitted the diseased sample from an inbred corn line that was part of a local breeding trial. It was not found in a commercial corn field. The disease was found on plant leaves.