Corn Harvest?

[Redfred16]

I know in Wisconsin, the sweet corn is generally harvested in August and field(aka feed) corn is late September or early October before it's harvested, weather depending.

What are the usual harvest time frames on corn here in Tennessee? The gentleman that has agriculture rights on my lease planted 20+ acres of corn, and it's already 6-8" high. This is the first year that corn has been planted here, it's normally just a hay field. I guess he has a machine that tills, sprays and plants all in one pull. It would be pretty interesting to see, but he still have quite a bit of other plants growing in his rows.

Just trying to think if that will be a big benefit during bow or gun season.

 

[Hunter 257W]

Typically corn is combined before Labor Day weekend when dove hunters like to hunt over corn fields. That varies but it's a good general rule of thumb for field corn.

 

[Redfred16]

Wow thats pretty early. The turkeys, squirrels and others will have the field picked clen by deer season.

 

[Rubberduck270]

Ask the farmer to leave a few rows around the edges. Then you have the option of leaving it standing for deer season or mowing some of the rows periodically.

 

[Redfred16]

Ask the farmer to leave a few rows around the edges. Then you have the option of leaving it standing for deer season or mowing some of the rows periodically.

I may ask him to do that. I just hope he cuts the rest of the hay a few times this year and doesn't ignore it. Last week it was almost waist high and a pain to walk through.

 

[morgancountry]

If the hay is left around the corn that would be a good thing. The deer, especially bucks, will feel safer about coming out before dark

 

[Redfred16]

I suppose now is a god time for it to be long for turkeys to nest in and the fawns to hide in. But it is really high. First time I walked the property I almost stepped on 2 hens before they jumped. Scared the death out of me, like flushing a 20lb pheaseant, LOL.

But I also have had friends lost deer trying to track in uncut over grown fields like that, blood gets lost quickly in there.

 

[deerhunter10]

End of September first of October at our farm. And the same with all the farmers I know. For the most part. All depends on the weather.I've seen it stay as long as late October because of the weather.

 

[Bone Collector]

Around here I don't see corn cut until Late October. On the WMA sometimes he waits until Early November.

most private land though is done by late October. some folks do cut it before labor day, but they are specifically doing so for dove hunting.

 

[rukiddin]

It all depends on farmer and variety of corn and weather. If he has dryers on his bins I've saw guys pick it as early as mid July. But if not, it should be picked by end of September.
Good luck getting him to leave some standing....doubt it happens, corn worth too much right now, unless your willing to compensate him for it.

 

[Redfred16]

Around here I don't see corn cut until Late October. On the WMA sometimes he waits until Early November.

most private land though is done by late October. some folks do cut it before labor day, but they are specifically doing so for dove hunting.

I don't think this was planted for game food. The farmer leased 6 or 7 local properties that were normally hay and planted corn on them.

I haven't seen it but the owner told me the guy had a machine that did all the work in one pull. We'd rotate crops on my grandparents farm, but we'd till, plant, then spray in the spring. Then harvest in the fall. Depending how the weather went sometimes my grandpa would till before the ground froze(which meant the hunting wasn't as good) or he'd leave the cut stalks standing.

I'm hoping he cuts in early to mid October, but he planted pretty early to leave standing that long and thats why I was asking here.

 

[Redfred16]

Good luck getting him to leave some standing....doubt it happens, corn worth too much right now, unless your willing to compensate him for it.

I would not expect it either. With the ethanol mandate corn prices have sky rocketed. I wouldn't be suprised if he planted corn just to capitalize on this.

 

[woodsman87]

I have never heard so many differeneces in corn picking. I always thought it was around Labor day just because that is when it was time. And I bet most full time farmers care less about dove shoots, they just pick corn when ready. I figured if they waited to even early October much less November, then a storm could blow it over or the ears get mildew from getting wet.
And the ones around here are pickiing cotton during October, another reason I thought that corn should be earlier so they aren't doing so many things at once. Beans October to November as well, then sew wheat after beans are cut.
Im no farmer, just how I thought of things.

 

[AT Hiker]

"corn picking" or harvesting corn can be broken down into two basic categories. Silage or Grain.

Silage is cut green and is done around dove season on average or sooner/later depending on the growing season.

Grain (dent) corn is combined when the moisture content is ideal, this can vary too, but if corn was planted on an average year in TN during end April-first May you could expect grain to be combined starting around early Oct.

Of course this varies greatly depending on geographic location, but a good rule of thumb.

 

[woodsman87]

The corn is always dried out as far as I know by labor day. They do not cut this for silage. But I do all of my observing of this in extreme south TN and north AL. I guess it could be different up yalls way. Usually it is planted by April 15th. Most of the corn around these parts is about knee high now.

 

[AT Hiker]

I think southern corn crops are a early maturing variety too, its neat to watch a corn harvest start down south and slowly work its way to Canada.

 

[BSK]

In my area of westcentral TN, most of the corn is harvested in mid-October.

 

[Chaneylake]

it all depends upon the weather

in 2012 90% of the corn was harvested before Sept 1 due to the drought last year

this year in my area it will probably be harvested mid to late Sept due to such a wet spring and late planting

 

[Poleaxe]

"corn picking" or harvesting corn can be broken down into two basic categories. Silage or Grain.

Silage is cut green and is done around dove season on average or sooner/later depending on the growing season.

Grain (dent) corn is combined when the moisture content is ideal, this can vary too, but if corn was planted on an average year in TN during end April-first May you could expect grain to be combined starting around early Oct.

Of course this varies greatly depending on geographic location, but a good rule of thumb.

This is exactly right.

 

[wlf89]

around here always right around dove season just because thats when it gets ready, they have driers on there bins to.