The Corn DryDown Calculator: A Tool to Guide Harvest Timing

Sep 04, 2025

By Sotirios Archontoulis and Ezequiel Saenz

As corn approaches physiological maturity and, in some areas, even harvest maturity, farmers face the challenge of deciding when to begin harvest. The ISU Corn DryDown Calculator is a practical tool that helps forecast grain moisture over the next 5 and 10 days, making it easier to schedule harvest operations.

Link to the Calculator: https://facts.extension.iastate.edu/corn-drydown-calculator

The tool covers the entire US Corn Belt. The user first selects a location on the map and then selects a date and a corn grain moisture content on that date. The tool generates a graph showing daily drydown patterns (see Fig 1) and a table summarizing the projected grain moisture content over the next 5 and 10 days (see Table 1). For example, if the grain moisture in central Iowa is 35% today (September 2), the calculator predicts it will drop to 28.6% in 5 days and to 23.8% in 10 days.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.