CORN Yields, Harvest, Drought of 2012

How are corn yields looking now that we are heading into harvest?

Here is one picture of the drought of 2012:

Ears of corn from various fields around Manhattan, Illinois

The ears are much smaller than last year and are not fully pollinated.  My dad had previously hoped for 80 bushels per acre and now says he's hoping to get at least 65 bushels per acre.  My dad usually underestimates a little so as to be pleasantly surprised so I would say we'll most likely get about 75 bushels per acre.  Since corn planting was completed early this year, we are planning to start corn harvest mid-September.

Will County Corn Harvest 2010

Will County farmers enjoyed warm and dry weather--along with soaring commodity prices-- while completing their 2010 harvest.  In fact, it was so warm that corn kernels that fell out of wagons and combines germinated and grew, as seen in the pictures below:

Corn harvest, 2010, warm weather induced dropped corn kernels to germniate

An odd sight: volunteer corn in a newly-harvested field.  Will County, October 2010