WHITE HALL, MD – Mid-Atlantic corn yields are holding up better than some growers expected after a dry spring and summer. Certified crop adviser Ben Hushon with The Mill says early harvest reports are generally running between 180 and 220 bushels per acre.
Hushon says the region received about half its normal rainfall through April, May, June and July. More regular rain returned in August, helping stabilize the crop as it moved toward maturity.
Harvest began around mid-September on shorter-season corn, mainly 95- to 98-day hybrids. Hushon says most corn in the area is planted at 105 to 118 days, so the bulk of harvest is still ahead.
He says some producers believe yields may finish 20 to 30 bushels below a very good year. Even so, growers are encouraged because early fields are not necessarily their best ground.
The next several weeks should show whether later-maturing corn can maintain the stronger-than-feared trend as harvest expands across Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Early Mid-Atlantic corn yields are exceeding some expectations despite prolonged dryness through much of the growing season.