August 2012 Updates Page 7
10 August
Plan to reduce your grocery bill this season.
Thank you Rimas.
9 August
About The Drought
It appears the more distant the hunter we talk to the worse the drought is believed to be.
This picture presentation is one snapshot into what the drought means on the ground. From a hunter's perspective with a farmer's input.
A corn field that on an average year is a 120 bushel/acre producer. At a 100 bushel per acre and above the profit margin suits combining for grain production. This year this field is well below 100 bushel/acre corn making it not cost effective for grain, but is worth chopping for cattle feed. That difference is running a combine as a piece of machinery and hauling the corn to storage is far more expensive than a chopper.
What the difference means in terms of corn production between a field with profit margin to combine for grain vice chop for cattle feed is the majority of stalks only had one ear. When the majority of the stalks have two ears (an average weather year) this field would have been combined for grain. Why the one ear and not most with two was blamed on poor pollination due to higher than the corn's optimum air temperature during the narrow window when pollination is effective. Another view point is the corn plant recognizes a lack of moisture and reduces the number of ears it will produce. For the ears that are produced the next enhancement or degradation is the amount of water uptake of the plant based on soil moisture. Soil moisture is a different measure than rainfall reported on TV weather forecasts.
This year with less than average rainfall during the growing season, a different time frame than the calendar year rainfall as illustrated on the drought monitor map, the corn that did grow in many areas did produce good grain. The picture above is corn about to enter the chopper.