Follow the Field 2020 Update #17

Happy Friday! Loving the cooler weather with hints of fall in the air. We’re starting to see a few signs of fall in the fields around us, although our fields aren’t quite as far along as some neighbors. Can’t wait to see more leaves on corn, beans, and trees begin to turn!

September 4, 2020 Update:

Soybeans (135 days)

Lots of pods on the beans! We’re to the point where the pods are becoming more visible as they get larger, but I’m also starting to see some leaves turn yellow and beginning to drop. This is a natural process as the plant matures, although there’s still a ways to go before the crop is ready for harvest.

See how you can see each bean defined in the pod? Progress.

I noticed yesterday that many of the soybean plants in this field have four-bean pods closer to the top of the plant, whereas there are mostly three-bean and some two-bean pods towards the bottom of the plant. This is a combination of genetic and weather factors from throughout the growing season. We actually just received a nice inch of rain a few days ago (which my yard desperately needed!) that will likely help these soybean plants put on a little more yield.

Corn (115 days)

Some signs of fall in the cornfield, too! Check out the browning leaves below.

It’s always feels calm when you’re standing in a cornfield. The tall plants block the wind and provide a lot of shade. It’s a whole different environment towards the ground.

Nice, plump ears on every plant are what we like to see.

Here’s what’s going on inside each of those husks. This is a fairly good ear – see how it’s filled almost all the way to the top? Where I’m standing in this photo is part of a plot, so I don’t know which hybrid this is without looking it up, but it’ll be great if most of the field looks like this.

Did you know that every ear of corn has an even number of kernels around the cob? That’s because this is the “flowering” part of the plant – just one of those weird consistencies of nature. 🙂

If you look closely at the top half of the ear in the photo, there’s a distinct line where the kernel is dark yellow and light yellow. That’s called the milk line. The line will slowly shift towards the middle of the ear as the kernel dries out and turns completely dark yellow (which is what we want it to do).

And that’s all I’ve got for this week’s update. Have a great extended weekend!