The middle of September cooled from the very hot temperatures during the first few days of the month but is still considerably above normal. The average temperature to date is 19.5 degrees Celsius – down from 21.9 C at the beginning of the month, but still above the average temperature for September of 16. 2 C.
After the deluge in July and August, September is turning out to be on the dry side with only 19 millimetres of rain so far, which is about 50 per cent below normal.
The corn heat unit (CHU) count continues to hold steady after the summer’s cooler start. September has accumulated 377 CHU so far; normal on a prorated basis would be 298 CHU so it’s well above average. Normal for the whole of September is 559 CHU, so the target will be easily reached.
Since the May 11 start date for the local heat unit count, the total recorded so far is 2,941 CHU for the 2023 cropping season. Since most corn producers plant corn that matures in the range of 2,000-3,000 CHU, they will be satisfied with the outcome.
The corn plants are still very green for this time of year with very few brown leaves, which has delayed corn silage harvesting. The cobs are starting to dry down, but there is no heavy frost in the forecast until the middle of October. Nights in September and into October are also forecast to be warmer than normal.
