When to pick field corn?

[Bimpnottin]

If you're going to dry it anyway, then you could pick all you want now. Really can't feed it yet, unless you were doing a fresh chop silage, but he wants the stalks. If you can spread it out, my dad always put his on old rabbit cages, so the ear could circulate, it'll dry. If you can't elevate it, then put it on a tarp and rotate it. WIll still dry, but will take a little longer. Just think about the old corn cribs - or maybe this is just a Wisconsin thing, not sure, but they would pick the corn and then put it in the wooden sided corn cribs made with slats, so it would hold in moisture, and that stuff dried just fine.

 

[freemotion]

I was thinking of stringing them up somehow, like people do with garlic and hot peppers, and hanging them from my barn rafters. I have lots of room to do this. Whatcha think? I also have tons of baling twine. I could take strings down as needed to feed the chickens over the winter. It would also give me an idea of what it would take to feed chickens on home grown corn if I ever had to, although if I grew it I could let it dry on the stalks.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Is the guy cutting the stalks when they're green? If the stalks are drying enough for him to cut them I'm sure the corn will dry fine.

 

[freemotion]

The corn stalks are very green and a lot of the ears look like sweet corn (although they are field corn) and are soft enough that I can break them in half with my hands.... Once the temps here get a bit chilly the stalks sell like crazy. People come with SUV's and such and buy huge quantities of stuff for their fall displays. I've seen estates with a display at each fencepost of their vast frontage...cornstalks, pumpkins, gourds, and a huge orange ribbon at each and every post along their property line fence. I shake my head at all that rotting food that probably ends up in the dump! :/

 

[lorieMN]

field corn ears will tip down toward the ground and start to open when it is ready..most farmers leave it in the field as long as possible to dry naturally so they dont have to dry it as much in the bins..so if the ears are pointing to the ground its ready,but still to wet for large scale bin storage,but a corn crib or air drying like you are thinking should work fine.

 

[BirchHatchery]

i pick corn when the corn plant is completly dead no green left then i store hole ear corn in tomatoe cages outside stores fine all winter gets rained and snowed on just like big corn cribs