Harvest consideration for frost killed corn
A portion of Iowa’s corn crop is likely to experience a frost before naturally reaching maturity as a result of cool temperatures later this week. Natural maturity is often determined when a black layer is formed at the kernel tip. At this timeframe grain moisture is typically 28–35% moisture. If a frost or freeze occurs a black layer can still form, however, grain moisture will be greater than 35%. A light frost of greater than 28oF for only a couple hours may kill some leaves, especially in the upper canopy.