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This just in from Dan Hudson, MSUE agronomic crops educator in Ingham County. If you grow corn or soybean you may want to read this. Vicki Morrone 303 Natural Resources Bldg C.S. Mott Group Dept of CARRS East Lansing, MI 48824 517-353-3542/517-282-3557 (cell) [log in to unmask] www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu for information on organic and sustaianable farming and news & events -----Original Message----- From: Dan Hudson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 12:30 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Implications of frost for corn and soybeans Ag Clients, Since we are expecting frost tonight, I want to pass along some information that will help you to anticipate how tonight's temperatures might affect yield and test weight of corn and soybeans. Some fields have already black layered, and I was at one field late last week that looked beautiful, but was just starting to dent. Rather than re-invent the wheel, I will refer you to several resources that spell it out quite clearly. I will preface this by saying that this is not Michigan data, but the principles are general enough that I am confident that they apply to us: Table 1-29. Estimated Risks to Grain Corn Yield and Quality From Late-Season Frost Damage http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/1other.htm#table1-29 Guidelines for Handling Corn Damaged by Frost Prior to Grain Maturity http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/WCM/W156.aspx Potential Yield Losses in Corn From Fall Frost Damage http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/CL/CL-9.pdf Assessing Frost Damage in Soybeans http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/disaster/winterstorm/frostsoybeans.html Ontario perspective on soybeans damaged by frost http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub811/2other.htm You will notice some variability in their estimates of yield loss due to frost at various stages, but they are fairly close. It is supposed to get down to 28 degrees tonight, but what matters is the temperature in the canopy. Zero degrees will kill the leaves, 28 will kill the whole plant, but how long those temperatures last will affect this somewhat. The low temperature will occur around 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. If you have e-mail but no access to internet, please contact us and we can print off some of these resources for you. Do not hesitate to call if you have any questions. Sincerely, Dan Hudson Daniel Hudson Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Ingham County MSU Extension 121 E. Maple Street P.O. Box 319 Mason, MI 48854 Office Phone: 517-676-7207 ext 7291 If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html