| Planting Date | GDU’S |
| 25-Apr | 2511 |
| 05-May | 2491 |
| 11-May | 2443 |
| 17-May | 2409 |
| 24-May | 2351 |
These are the Growing Degree Units (GDU’s) as of Saturday October 4.
Some of the Corn that is being harvested is 25-30% moisture with test weights 50-53.5lbs.
At this point in time with the recent frost event we had on Sunday and Monday October 5th and 6th as well as the frost event on Saturday September 13th, it appears as though we will have portions of the field that have died prematurely and portions of the field that have just black layered.
By having portions of the field in various stages of maturity we will see wider swings in moisture and test weight. The other thing we may see is more damage to the kernel while harvesting which will cause more Foreign Material (FM) in grain. This potential increase in FM may cause more storage problems. The take home on this is, every time you move grain that has died prematurely, you increase the likelihood of kernel damage and FM.
Conversely, there are fields out there that because of stalk and root rot will need to be harvested earlier. Your harvest schedule may vary as to when these will fields will need to be harvested.
If you have questions or concerns contact your local Central Valley Agronomist as to a harvest plan for your fields.
