Louisiana Corn Crop Should Start Harvesting Next Month

According to LSU AgCenter Extension Service Corn Specialist Dr. Dan Fromme at the Dean Lee Research Station just south of Alexandria, around this time in the season, the corn crop is reaching the black layer stage.

"Which basically means when the base of the kernel  has a little black layer it can no longer take up water and nutrients," said Fromme. "Pretty soon, probably in the next several days, the older fields will have reached that stage and then all we'll be talking about is harvest."

This years corn harvest could start around the first of August when combines hit some fields.

"Yield potential this year is really hard to put a number on and that goes back to the dry weather we had during the tassel stage and after that as well," says Fromme. "In fact we were even a little dry before the  crop reached tassel and silking. Some of the dry land fields are really going to be hurt this year."

About fifty percent of the corn acres across Louisiana are either irrigated or can be irrigated.