Below is a chart of normal cloudy or sunny days for northern Illinois. from my posts you have seen how fast the corn is growing in May, June, and July. We get enough rain to accommodate this especially this year. It takes water and sun to build the healthy plant. The next stage occurs in last half of July continuing into August and September. That is when the grain is developing. The plant is fully developed so not as much moisture is needed but the amount of sunshine is critical for the leaves to convert this energy into grain.
Normally September is our sunniest month which makes this area ideal for corn production. However this year turned out to be slightly cooler and cloudier than normal. As a result the grain did not get as much energy to fill with starch. Because of this each kernel weighs less. Although we have a lot of kernels the combined weight of a bushel is less. Less lbs per bushel equals less yield per acre. So the first reports of harvest in my area are a little disappointing. When we were scouting the assumption was for normal weights with this correction yield estimates would be up to 10% less than expected.
Serving together, Dean
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