As winter progresses, the corn is drying down and test weight is increasing a little. According to DeLamere, North Dakota farmer Terry Wehlander, test weights have come up anywhere from three to five pounds. “That’s huge for some of these farmers. We haven’t got started on ours yet, but we’ll probably get started this week,” says Wehlander. “Everyone is fighting through it. I’ve been hearing some good comments from farmers up north.” Wehlender says most farmers are finding a home for their corn. Many are tapping into the local ethanol plants. “They’re getting plenty of corn right now.” Lower test weight corn can be blended with higher test weight corn for feedlots. Mycotoxins can be a challenge in years like this. “I think there will be more quality testing at the elevator as this crop begins to be delivered,” says Randy Gordon of the National Grain and Feed Association. “We’re encouraging farmers to dry down the crop the best they can, but it was a tough year. We deal with the crop we get, but the industry has an amazing way of finding an acceptable home for all of the crops.”
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