Corn Harvest, Facts, and More

After getting off to a good start, corn harvest has come to a standstill on our farm, and will likely stay this way for the next few days.  We've run into corn that's still a bit green (wet).  Ideally, corn that is harvested for grain will have a moisture content below 17%.  I sampled some today and it was over 20%, so we will park the combine and wait a few days for it to "dry down."  While it could be harvested at 20%, the grainery (also known as an elevator) will dock (penalize) corn over 15.5%, by taking away bushels.  They do this because they will have to physically dry it down themselves in their grain bins with their fans, and this costs them money.  So, for example, let's say we have 1,000 bushels of corn on a semi-trailor, and the moisture checks at 19%.  The grainery will dock a percentage of that load, and only credit us as having, say, 900 bushels.  Remember, the grainery is the one buying our product--whether it be corn, soybeans, wheat etc.  Now, we will only get paid on 900 bushels instead of the 1,000 delivered.  Corn today is selling for around $7/bushel (a really good price for the farmer).  Now figure what one lost by cutting it too wet:

$7 x 1,000 = $7,000

$7 x 900 = $6,300

For a loss of $700 on that load.

$700 x 10 loads a day (as an average) = $7,000 per day one would lose by harvesting corn too wet.

I think we'll keep the combine parked a few days.  It's still very early in the harvest season, so we aren't hard pressed, and won't be unless the weather turns ugly for an extended time, to try and get it out in such a hurry.  The closer we can get it to 15.5%, the less dock that will be applied.  Corn is considered "dry" at 15.5%, so anything below that number doesn't get docked.  However, corn that is too dry can present other potential issues, which I can discuss another time.

Corn being harvested by a combine:

The corn plant is pretty a-maize-ing, and the uses derived from this plant are probably even more amazing. Sorry, that's pretty corny. Two recent documentaries,

and

put a spotlight on corn.  Both of these documentaries are very entertaining, enlightening, and well-made.  Unfortunately both of these documentaries, like many politicians, often only tell one side of a story.  I learned much from these documentaries, and others like them, and found myself agreeing with much of what was being said.  However, I was still somewhat disappointed that the information presented, while truthful, was in my opinion, lacking and incomplete.  More on this later.  I would recommend watching these if you have not yet, but would urge a word of caution and discernment if not familiar with the agriculture related issues discussed.  I only briefly mention this now because a few people I know have asked me about them, so I wanted to get a word in now. As the late Paul Harvey would say, "The Rest of the Story", is coming. 

Finally, some corn facts:

http://www.monsanto.com/americasfarmers/Pages/us-corn-facts.aspx

And if you have kids, teach, or homeschool, here's a link to educational resources about corn:

http://www.ncga.com/k-12-resources/

As always, your comments and questions are welcomed.  Thanks and enjoy your corn, but not like this guy: