Pollination Time for Corn

We have been seeing corn tassels peaking out since Wednesday.  Yesterday I went to St. Louis and noticed many more tassels on the way home than I did on the way there.  Moisture conditions should be in good shape for pollination at least for early corn.  One thing standing in the way of a good crop might be Japanese Beetles. University of Illinois entomologist Mike Gray presents new research results concerning silk clipping in this bulletin.  The good news is that infestations so far appear to be light, but we need to scout fields for the first 5 days of silking to assure good pollination. I should add that I expect 3 to 4 weeks to pass before all corn is pollinated, so that is a long scouting window.