Market Farming

["Robert Hadad" <rhadad AT hsus.org>]

Courtney,
   Often corn gets blown over when there is excessive root worm damage.
Rootworms are the larval stages of the Northern Corn Root worm or
Western Corn Root worm, depending on where you live. The adult beetles
lay eggs at the base of corn stalks and the young larvae will then
burrow down into the soil and feed on the roots. With enough worm
damage, the anchoring ability of the corn is weakened. A rainy season
keeping the soil soft or real heavy winds can cause the plants will
lodge - fall over. 
   Rotations out of corn will help reduce the adult populations however
if neighboring farms are raising corn, then you will be surrounded by
them anyway. Some corn varieties sometimes are listed as resistant to
rootworm. Depending on whether the adults flying in are an overwintering
population or flying up from more southern climates may allow for
adjusting planting dates. More northern climates tend to have fly-ins
and would be later in affecting fields. 
    It also seems that problems are cyclic. A few years without
noticeable problems then one or two bad years. If you are organic,
control is a challenge but rotations of corn far away from the last
planting can help. After harvest of corn, removing stalks and lightly
tilling up the upper soil level to expose late pupating larvae might
also reduce the adult populations from overwintering in the stubble but
this is a lot of work.
    If the fields that your corn are going into is large enough to
justify the expense, perhaps investing in an application of beneficial
nematodes could be the answer.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Robert Hadad
Director of Farming Systems
Farm Animals & Sustainable Agriculture -
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L St. NW
Washington, DC 20037
301-258-3113
rhadad AT hsus.org