Farmers! If your crop is flattened, can you still harvest it successfully?

Question

I know there are people who like to make pictures in the fields using planks of wood. Would this, for example, ruin the crop?

Answer 1

It depends on the stage of the crop development and the type of crop.  Most of the "crop circles" I've seen are in wheat or similar crops.

As long as they head (grain) doesn't touch the ground the combine can usually get under it.  The operator may need to approach the circles from a certain direction but it shouldn't be a problem.

There are times when entire fields are blown over.  I've seen one time when the wheat was all laid down so flat that the combine could only approach from one direction.  They would make one pass, then lift their header (the cutting part) and drive back to the other end and put the header back down to make another pass.  Slow, but it saved the crop.

They also make a special reel (the paddle-wheel looking thing that pushes the grain into the header) that has steel fingers that actually reach forward as the reel goes down, then curls back to lift the crop so it can be cut.

If the head is pushed into the mud (as in a hail storm) then it's lost.  When that happend to a friend the best thing he could do was burn the field.  That destroyed the grain so he didn't have to plow or spray to kill the plants (called "volunteer") sprouting from the grain knocked out by the storm.

The reason for that was we planted between  one half and one bushel of grain per acre -- that storm planted 50 or more bushels per acre and all at the wrong time.

So to answer your question, no it wouldn't ruin the crop, but the hordes of people walking out to see the picture might!

Answer 2

Young, growing stuff will often straighten up some, but probably not entirely.  Wheat that's headed out or corn that's already tasseled probably isn't going to do a thing.

Harvesting flattened crops is very difficult if not impossible.

Answer 3

yes it will ruin the crop and it does make it difficult to harvest and replant. however, they can always be a way to replant things. you can disc the field and replant the rows, put so good fertilizer on it and it should be good to go.

Answer 4

When we have to lift a wheat crop that has been flattened, it is usually good for only livestock food.

That is because it is so difficult to get the heads up without bringing up some mud.

Well if the land is very dry we can separate the dirt from the grain, but the miller has to be aware of the problem, and in general they will pay no more than it is worth for livestock food.

Failing to mention it to a miller could get you banned for life.

Answer 5

depends on how long the wood is there before harvest time,if it has been left without sun for long,it will die and cant be harvested,so the part that is not covered that gets sun will be fine to harvest.

Answer 6

some of it can be harvested