Can This Corn Be Harvested?

Unfortunately this is not the only corn field in our area that looks like this. I have combined down twisted corn in the past but never corn that was this bad. When the corn is flat on the ground I do not think there is any hope of combining the field. If the stalks are a few inches off the ground you may be able to get the points or snouts of the corn head on the combine under the stalk and pull the stalk up. Then there are corn reels you can add on to the head to push the stalks off the head and into the cross auger and into the combine.

Trying to salvage the corn will be a long slow process. It is very disappointing when this occurs. Here you have a very good corn crop in the field ready for harvest. Then it is pretty much destroyed in seconds. However, farmers know this can happen and that is why we buy crop insurance. Almost all farmers purchase crop insurance that offers some protection from a storm like this. With most types of insurance there are deductibles and copays. That is true with crop insurance too.

Generally speaking a farmer would have to lose 20 to 30 percent of their crop before they would collect on their insurance. In addition this storm will result in special issues next year too. Most likely this field will be rotated to soybeans. The mature corn that was lost in the field this fall will grow in the bean field next year. Grass killing herbicides will need to be added to the herbicide program for next year.