Impact of Premature Corn Death

Sep 13, 2023

The last couple heat waves combined with continued drought stress has brought on premature corn death. What should be expected as corn grain harvest gets underway? First and foremost expect VARIABILITY of both grain moisture and yield within and between fields. Next plan for variable and possibly low test weight corn. This is especially important in a drought year where a hybrid may have died prematurely.

While we often talk about test weight as a grain quality indicator, we don’t always remember that test weight and grain moisture are inversely related. Checking fields early at a high grain moisture may give a false ‘low test weight’ indication. As grain dries, test weights increase because kernels shrink and become more slight; this allows for more kernels to fit into a bushel.

We can expect lighter corn test weight because grain fill in late August and early September was impacted by high temperatures and extreme drought conditions. Sure there will be areas of Iowa where timely rains may have saved the corn crop but there is a large portion of Iowa impacted by severe to extreme drought. In addition to lower test weights, expect grain yield decreases more the earlier premature death occurs (ranges from 5-10% in late dent up to 20-40% at beginning dent stage).

Tips for harvesting corn that has prematurely died:

Set the combine for variable crop conditions.
Calibrate yield monitors frequently (at least daily or when you change from one hybrid to the next).
Make drying and storage a priority.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.