TOPEKA ( KSNT ) — Corn farmers are collecting their harvest as summer transitions to fall — but some fields are looking a little more brown than green.
Lucas Haag with the Kansas State University Research & Extension Office told Nexstar’s KSNT that some farmers have let their cornfields dry out purposefully before harvest. Multiple factors go into the harvesting process that help farmers decide when it’s time to collect their crops, including the variety of corn they planted.
“Farmers will plant a range of different corn varieties,” Haag said. “Some can be harvested earlier than others.”
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Farmers, including those in Kansas, rely on two types of corn: sweet and field. The big difference between the two is higher amounts of sugar and starch in sweet and field corn, respectively. Field corn is mainly used for the production of ethanol and animal feed.
In most areas, sweet corn has already been harvested, Haag explains.
Field corn is next, unless it’s already been collected. Letting it dry out prior to being harvested can help with the production process. Dry grain is generally easier to keep, while wet grain can more difficult, making it more expensive.