Ag Bites — Pre-Harvest Evaluation: Part 1 — October 1, 2013

In this Ag Bites video, Jason C. Miller shows growers how to conduct a pre-harvest evaluation by analyzing corn plants and ears.

A big part of Peterson Farms Seed’s mission is to provide unparalleled agronomic support to growers, resulting in higher yields. The Ag Bites video series provides in-field reports and practical agronomic tips to inform and educate our customers in that effort. If you have any questions, please call the office at (701) 282-7476. Full video transcription below.

“Today we’re in the field to do a pre-harvest evaluation and the reason we do a pre-harvest evaluation is because you don’t really know what’s out there until you get into the field with your combine and look at the yield monitor. That’s why we’re going to evaluate four rows and it’s a four-step process.

First, we measure off 25 feet and then we evaluate the plants in that 25 feet. Then we look at and count the harvestable ears, then count the secondary ears after which we will take an evaluation of the ears.

We’ve measured off 25 feet and have selected the four rows that we’re going to test. Now we’re going to go through and count each plant within 25 feet. After we’ve counted the number of plants, we’re going to turn back around and count the number of harvestable ears. After we’ve measured off, counted the plants, counted the secondary ears, we take ten consecutive plants in each row and analyze the nodes where the ears are. Find the ear on the node. Then go up one on the opposite side and pull it back. Sometimes we’re going to find that it is smooth. If we look at the next plant in the consecutive ten, we find the ear on the node, go to the opposite side and one up, and we sometimes find that it has a groove. What that tells us is early on, the plant tried to put the ear on one segment but gave it up and went down to the next node.

Now we’re going to try and find an average ear size. Start counting five plants down, and pull it, count five more down and pull that ear. Get three ears on each row for a total of twelve ears. While we’re analyzing the ear, we count the rows around the girth at the bottom. Then we switch to the top, about an inch and a half down. We measured 20 around the bottom and 18 on the top.

Next, we’re going to measure the length harvested, so that includes all the kernels that are not going to thrash out of the combine, blow out the back, it’s not going to end up in the hopper. Our next step is to measure the length pollinated. That’s where we have all these kernels that have pollinated. And finally, the third thing we measure is the length established, and that’s going to include all the little divots to the tip.

There’s a few reasons that we do this. First reason is just to get out and look at your corn just to see what’s going on. The second reason is when we do our hot streak evaluations, is that’s how we compare them to one another. We do what we just did in the neutral spot, and then we also do it in the hot streak spot. For example, if you have a potash study or a speed study or a depth study, that’s how we compare the two. Third last but not least, of course we want to check stock quality. I really want to encourage everybody while they’re all walking their corn

just take and push against the stock, if it springs right back well that’s good, and if it just kind of stays there or even starts to break we really encourage you to make plans on going out and get that corn.”