Corn Crops to be Harvested Earlier this Year
It has been an unusually warm winter this year, and because of the warm temperatures, many farmers have planted their corn early. They told 7 Eyewitness News even though it has been extremely dry, their crops overall are in pretty good shape. The rain earlier this week made a huge difference. Johnny Verell has about 2,000 acres of corn, and he has planted it two weeks earlier this year. “It was extremely dry in February and March, so as soon as the ground got warm enough for us to plant, we started planting,” Verell said. Both farmers and experts said having an early start has been a good thing, especially since it has been so dry. Planting early minimizes chances the crops will have damage if we get an early frost, and the crops will have matured before it gets too hot. “The temperatures are in the mid-80s versus in the mid-90s, so the corn is going through pollination at a good temperature,” Verell said. Right now Verell said his yellow field corn is about eight feet tall. This time last year it was two feet taller. But he claims it’s not a bad thing. “The heat or the height of the corn has nothing to do with the yield. The yield is all determined by moisture and temperature,” Verell said. Ag experts said they hope farmers will be able to make more money from their corn this year when it is time to harvest. “The more bushels of corn you make, the more the farmer makes, at least generally, and again an early crop will generally help you do that. You’ll avoid late season insects, late season drought,” said Dr. Scott Stewart, with the University of Tennessee’s Research and Education Center. Verell said so far it has been an ideal year to plant corn, as long as they can keep getting rain these next couple of weeks. Dr. Stewart said he expects many farmers to harvest their corn in August this year. They usually wait until September.
