Thinking about harvesting your corn in September at a higher moisture? You’ll need to revamp your combining strategy if you normally harvest corn in the “sweet spot” of 17% to 22% moisture.
“That’s where the mechanical threshing mechanisms work best,” says Charlie Hurburgh, an Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer. “You want to shell off the entire kernel, so you don’t have fines and tip caps, while at the same time not grinding up the cob.”
Harvesting wetter corn requires more finesse, says Steve Luther, who manages Stine Seed Farm near Adel, Iowa.
“It’s easier to tear up wet corn, so you have to pay attention to this when setting your combine,” he says.
His tips include:
- Slowing down. Reducing ground speed and combine rotor speed helps ensure smooth threshing. Although twin rotor combines help accomplish this, Luther still closely monitors speed to ensure kernels smoothly roll off the cob.
- Running less-aggressive pre-accelerator bars in front of the rotors.
- Shifting to Bauer Built Concaves to lessen grain damage potential. “They aren’t as aggressive as other ones and don’t tear the grain up,” Luther says.
- Increasing fan speed to ensure proper separation.
- Making adjustments for daily moisture changes. “Harvesting wet corn is a bit like harvesting soybeans,” Luther says. “You might be harvesting a bit differently in the mornings than at noon and again in the evening, when more moisture comes in.”