Estimating the Amount of Grain Left in the Field

Estimating the Amount of Grain Left in the Field
Estimating the amount of corn down in a field helps producers determine a grazing strategy. An 8" ear of corn contains about .5 pound of corn grain, therefore 112, 8" ears would equal 1 bushel. By counting the number of ears the amount of corn left can be estimated. If the corn is planted in 30" rows, count the number of ears in three different 100 ft. furrow strips and divide by two to get an approximate number of bushels per acre. Small ears and broken ears should be counted as half ears, while very large ears would count as 1.5.

If the corn is planted in 36" rows, then count the number of ears in three different 100' furrows and divide by 1.66. Any amount beyond 8-10 bushels per acre will require a well planned grazing strategy to ensure that too much grain is not consumed.