C. Harvest Conditions (August–October +)
Harvest moved along quickly accompanied by differing crop conditions
At the end of the growing season, drying down of the grain is dependent upon sunshine, temperature, humidity levels, and soil dryness. Corn can most effectively dry down with the least adverse impact on quality with sunny, warm days with low humidity. Another weather concern at the end of the growing season is freezing temperatures. Early freezing before the grain is sufficiently dry leads to decreased test weight, increased cracks, and, therefore, lower quality grain.
In the areas most affected by the heat and drought, predicted low yields motivated many farmers to harvest whole corn plants early as silage for animal feed. For the drought-stricken fields that were not harvested for silage, several conditions precipitated an earlier than average harvest. The long-term heat in June and July hastened maturity of the corn plant. A warm, sunny August with low humidity combined with dry soil conditions also hastened the maturation process. Finally, in some areas, weakened plant integrity due to the weather stresses affected both the stalk strength and ear attachment.
These concerns, as well as possible concerns about aflatoxins, led many farmers to harvest the corn as soon as possible. These different scenarios created divergent harvest conditions. In some cases, the grain was drying down below 15% leading to concerns about potential ear drop and stalk lodging (or breakage of the stalk below the ear) as well as loss of harvest weight when delivered to the grain elevator. In other areas, farmers harvested grain at high moistures due to the aforementioned aflatoxin issues. While there was an average overall early harvest, typical rain patterns returned in September and delayed harvest in some areas.