Adjusted properly, your combine can handle corn between 20 and 30% moisture. However, as moistures exceed 30%, your work will be a balancing act between leaving unthreshed grain in the field and grain damage. Here are a few tips to help guide you along in this wet harvest season.

Corn test weight (TW) is an often discussed topic of conversation among corn growers. The topic moves to the forefront in years when corn has been stressed at some point during the grain filling period or when the growing season is ended by frost before physiological maturity is reached. In many cases, the concept of test weight is misunderstood.

Even the best plans to ensile high moisture corn at the proper moisture level are sometimes thwarted by weather and time constraints.  These types of situations prompt the question, "What can I get away with?"  Here are some factors and suggestions to consider when making decisions regarding the harvest and storage of high moisture corn.

Use this link to download or print this week's articles, compiled in one file.

Click to open the WCM issue for October 15, 2009  >>> WCM 16-29

The Fall is a Good Time to Pull Soil Samples for SCN. The UW Agronomy Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, is again offering free SCN testing for Wisconsin growers.

Please remember to register for the Pest Management Update meetings coming November 9-18 at various locations around Wisconsin. Read the full article for the day that one will be held near you.

39^th North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference Slated for November 18 and 19 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The CCA Pre-Test Training Session, sponsored by UW-Extension, Wisconsin Crop Production Association and the UW IPM Program will be offered at the Madison Crowne Plaza on December 15-16, 2009.

The Department of Soil Science will offer Soil, Water, and Nutrient Management Meetings at
eight locations in 2009. These meetings combine the former Soil & Water Management and
Fertilizer Dealer Meetings into one 4-hour session (10 am to Noon/1 to 3 pm).

The combine automates yield monitoring by gathering data from various sensors, including speed, position, header height and width, mass-flow and moisture. Each of these sensors contributes an essential piece of data necessary to the production of an accurate yield map.

Through this volunteer program, farmers must agree to maintain existing conservation practices and to do more conservation practices during the five years of the contract. Certain improvements to nutrient management practices related to nitrogen and phosphorus applications are valued under this system.

We are pleased to announce the schedule and topics for the 2009 Pest Management Update Meetings. See the attachment to this article for the schedule. Please check the dates and locations and reserve a date on your calendar. Registration details are listed at the top of the schedule. Please pre-register with the host agent as they have to make the meal reservations. Most agents have added an additional “walk-in” fee for those who have not pre-registered.