Arkansas: Corn, Sorghum Weekly Update

The White County corn verification field was harvested on August 27 at approximately 18% moisture.  We are still waiting on final yield information.  The greensnap on the field was upgraded from 25% to 48% by an insurance adjuster.  The Jefferson County corn field is scheduled to be harvested within the next few days.  The Clay County field still has not reached R6 (blacklayer) but should soon.  The rest of the fields should be harvested in the next two weeks depending on the weather.

The Chicot County grain sorghum field was harvest on August 23 and the Prairie County grain sorghum field was harvested on August 28.  We are still collecting data for yield information.

Average CRVP Growth and Development vs. 2014 CRVP.

 Southeast Arkansas Update – Wes Kirkpatrick (Desha County) & Kevin Norton (Ashley County)

Corn harvest continues.  Most, if not all, of the corn being harvested in Desha County still has elevated grain moisture at 18-22%.  Yields are good, ranging from 190 to well over 200 bushels per acre in Desha County and from 180 to 240 bushels per acre in Ashley County.

Central Arkansas Update – Brent Griffin (Prairie County)

Grain moisture is beginning to lower and the pace of harvest of corn and sorghum is accelerating. Yields in general have been good. Early corn reports are from 165 to 185 bushels per acre.  Lower yields are likely attributed to drowned out holes and flooded out lower ends of the field. A few pollination issues have been affirmed by the combine. 

Northeast Arkansas Update – Herb Ginn (Lawrence County) & Branon Thiesse (Craighead County)

Craighead County – Moisture levels are still a little high but those with batch dryers should start near end of the week. Grain sorghum harvest is beginning as well.

Lawrence County – Corn harvest is underway with about 10% of our corn acres harvested at this time. Yields have varied from 160 to 200 bushels per acre.  Some grain sorghum has been harvested this week, but many fields are still a little ways off before harvest with a few fields being treated for corn earworm and one field being treated for sugarcane aphid.

River Valley Update – Kevin VanPelt (Conway County) & Hank Chaney (Faulkner County)

Conway County – There’s still only a few producers in the River Valley that have started harvesting corn. Those that have started are cutting some fields that were planted in March and seeing moisture running 16% to 18%. Yields are averaging from 170 to 190 bushels per acre. We’re seeing higher yields in the dryland corn than in lower areas of irrigated fields probably due to the wet spring. It will probably be next week before everyone really gets going on cutting corn.

Faulkner County – Corn harvest has officially gotten underway with very limited acres being harvested.  Yield report was better than expected with an estimated yield of 190+ bushels per acre. (The corn is being stored in a bin.) Most of the grain moisture is still too high but harvest should get into full swing next week.  Sugarcane aphid continues to be a major problem resulting in a second Transform insecticide application on several sorghum fields in the valley. I also encountered a late seeded sorghum field that had both sugarcane aphids and corn earworms at treatment level.  Unfortunately, profit probability goes down dramatically when multiple insecticide applications have to be made regardless of price and yield.  

Heat Units  

Heat unit accumulation was the highest it’s been all year this week.