The 2008 American corn harvest is still behind schedule . According to this week’s planting progress report from the USDA, corn planting is 3% behind the five-year average. What’s worse, corn emergence, the second benchmark for planning progress, is 15% behind its normal average… not a good sign for an ethanol market insisting on a bumper crop.
“The first solid indicator of crop progress is the average silking date,” explains Kevin Kerr. Silking is, well… when the corn does this:
“When approximately 75% of the plants show silks, we record that date as the silking date. In a typical year, the average silking date for Iowa, for example, falls between July 20-25.
“That’s not happening this year, not a chance. The root systems don’t have enough time to develop in this cold, wet ground. By the time we get to July, the plant will not be mature enough to handle the withering heat. In my opinion, this is going to be a terrible year for corn yield, and it couldn't come at a worse time for the global economy.”
“The first solid indicator of crop progress is the average silking date,” explains Kevin Kerr. Silking is, well… when the corn does this:
“When approximately 75% of the plants show silks, we record that date as the silking date. In a typical year, the average silking date for Iowa, for example, falls between July 20-25.
“That’s not happening this year, not a chance. The root systems don’t have enough time to develop in this cold, wet ground. By the time we get to July, the plant will not be mature enough to handle the withering heat. In my opinion, this is going to be a terrible year for corn yield, and it couldn't come at a worse time for the global economy.”
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