As corn harvest begins in the United States, farmers from around the country are preparing for an abundant crop. Record-breaking numbers are expected due to ideal summer growing weather.
A Slow Start Turns to a Solid Finish
The U.S. corn crop has recovered from a cold, wet spring that delayed planting in many parts of the country. The plants grew quickly thanks to mostly good weather conditions through the summer, and began the crucial pollination stage on time.
“This will be a great year for corn across the country,” said John Linder, a farmer in Ohio. “My brother and I have traveled across several states, and what we’ve seen for corn has been just phenomenal. It is a banner year for a lot of areas.”
Yield estimates are exceeding expectations for many. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that currently the total U.S. corn harvest is estimated at 356 million metric tons with average yields at 10.5 tons per hectare.
“Our [projected] yield for this field is more than 16 tons per hectare. Our average production is a little more than 11, and a good year for us in the past has been 13,” said Illinois farmer Paul Jeschke. “I don’t want to count on 16 as that is probably higher than what we’ll really see, but the potential is much above normal for us.”
Quality Corn for 2014/2015
The 2014/2015 U.S. corn crop is also expected to be high quality, with low levels of mycotoxins. This is mainly due to limited pressure from insects. Insect damage to corn kernels allows the molds that cause mycotoxins to grow. Healthy plants and effective pest control
minimize the damage.
“Mycotoxins have not been a problem for us in this area with the exception of a few minor problems in 2012, which was an extreme drought,” Jeschke said. “I would expect the quality should be excellent this year and mycotoxin problems in our region of the country to be almost non-existent.”
Forecasts point to another bumper U.S. corn crop for the 2014/2015 season. Good weather and low mycotoxin levels mean a high quality, plentiful U.S. corn crop is on its way. •
To see more, watch the video in the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAou_yuhT4A&list=UUagF3P0a0yT-_hvr4nwBUoQ