My patch of field corn has matured and is beginning to "dry down", or in other words, the corn is drying out so that it can be harvested and stored for the winter. My variety is called "Reid's Yellow Dent", which is a open pollinated heirloom type that used to be grown a lot in the early part of the last century before hybrid varieties became the norm. It may not produce like a hybrid, but I can save the seed from this crop and plant it again next season., which you can't do with a hybrid. I grow field corn in part to supplement the feed that I give my chickens. It's also is good for exercise, and frankly, it's fun to watch corn grow and develop (It shows you what an exciting guy I am!!). Judging by what corn is going for a bushel this year, it has worked out to be quite profitable!
I have been getting quite a bit of corn smut this year. I'm not sure if it was because of the cool wet spring that we had or what. It looks discusting!
But this year I have been getting a nice crop of big healthy ears!
