“I was surprised. Some fields in some of our trials had the best yields they’d ever seen,” says Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Dan Quinn. He, along with many farmers around the state, are saying that regarding their corn crop this year. He credits the later August rains for the help.
“We saw some issues in terms of what the June weather did to the crop, in terms of tip back, we had some grain fill issues as well, but I think if you look at the conditions we saw in the month of August and how we got some good yields out of the beans, I think some of that saved some of the corn yields too.”
According to Quinn, corn disease was also very limited this year.
“Especially in the really critical periods. We had some of it come on late. Tar spot came on late, northern corn leaf blight was pretty pronounced this year, some gray leaf spot, but they came on late. They really came back on a period that fungicide is really not going to help you, you’re not going to see a whole lot of yield loss.”
Quinn says planting date likely played a big factor in corn yields this season.
“I’d actually say some of the stuff that got in a little bit later outyielded some of the stuff that got in earlier. If you think about corn, that critical growth stage when that tassel comes out, early to mid-July…I think some of that earlier planted corn got into those more critical growth stages and got a little more stressed because it was so dry in June and beginning of July. And the later planted corn actually caught some more of that moisture and that rainfall at more of those critical periods.”
Quinn made these comments on the Purdue Crop Chat Podcast where he’s joined by Purdue Extension soybean specialist Shaun Casteel. Bring us along in the combine as you wrap up harvest as we also discuss what you should be thinking about for 2023. You can hear the Purdue Crop Chat below or wherever you download podcasts.
