Corn Crop Getting Closer To Maturity

Sep 09, 2021

The Manitoba Crop Alliance is giving an update on the province's corn crop.

Morgan Cott is an Agronomy Extension Specialist with the organization.

"It's looking decent. It's getting a lot closer to maturity now. I'm estimating that stages range from about just forming a milk line, I've seen some fields that are actually at black layer physiological maturity...Fields are uneven though of course, so they'll need a little extra time to mature fully and dry down to a consistent moisture level."

Cott notes some corn plants are staying a little greener longer than expected, especially in the shorter areas, which would be expected to dry down quite quickly because of their size. She adds they're starting to fire off a little bit on the bottom leaves but generally the plants are hanging on a lot longer than expected.

She has noticed a bit of Goss's wilt after the recent rains, which will encourage the plants to dry down if they're having an issue holding on to the greeness a little bit. Cott says she has also seen Holcus leaf spot in some fields, something to keep an eye out for.

Yields are expected to be below average, although there are some promising fields.

Cott is hoping for another month of no frost.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

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That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.