Field Notes Talks Corn Progress with Farmers in Missouri, Kansas

This week, the National Corn Growers Association continued its seventh season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Field Notes caught up with Kyle Kirby, who farms in southwestern Missouri.  

“We have had a very good August. We have had a lot of rain,” he explained. “A lot of times in southwest Missouri, if we can catch an inch or two of rain in the first few weeks of August, we are thrilled. But, after yesterday’s rain event, we are at eleven inches in the period.”

To find out more, including what silage is and why farmers are late chopping it, click here.

Lowell Neitzel, who farms outside of Lawrence, Kansas, also took time to catch Field Notes up on his corn crop’s progress.

“We are a bit wet for this time of year, and we are a bit cooler than usual too,” said Neitzel. “We are hoping that, with the cooler temperatures, the corn is naturally drying itself down. Hopefully, that will be good for test weight and grain fill.”

To find out more, including why grain fill matters for farmers, click here.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.