I received a reader comment complimenting me on the July 24 column on "Cornfield Birds and Bees." She said she enjoyed the reminder of what happens at pollinating time in the "corn canyons" of Champaign County.

Corn has done surprisingly well since our delayed planting season punctuated by monsoonal rains. Commodities including grains have dropped like a rock over the past few weeks in anticipation of an above average crop. USDA has pegged Illinois corn progress at 79 percent silked vs. a five-year average of 95 percent. We have 11 percent in dough stage vs. a 35 percent average. Corn condition is a remarkable 70 percent good to excellent with only 9 percent poor to very poor.

So, what's happening now in the fields? Special thanks to University of Illinois Extension Crops Specialists Emerson Nafziger and Dennis Bowman plus Purdue University's www.kingcorn.org web site. Ten to fourteen days after silking the developing kernels are whitish "blisters" on the cob that contain clear fluid. The ear silks are brown and drying rapidly. Starch is beginning to accumulate in the endosperm. Severe stress like extreme heat can easily abort kernels at pre-blister and blister stages. Kernel moisture content is approximately 85 percent.

• About 18 to 22 days after silking, the kernels are mostly yellow and contain "milky" white fluid. The milk stage of development is the "roasting ear stage" for the sweet corn aficionados! Starch continues to accumulate in the endosperm. Kernel moisture is approximately 80 percent.
• At 24 to 28 days after silking, the kernel's milky inner fluid is changing to a "doughy" consistency as starch accumulation continues in the endosperm. The shelled cob is now light red or pink. By dough stage, the kernels have reached about 50 percent of their mature dry weight. Kernel moisture is about 70 percent.
• About 35 to 42 days after silking, nearly all the kernels are denting near their crowns. A distinct horizontal line appears near the dent end of the kernel and slowly progresses to the tip end of the kernel over the next three weeks. This line is called the milk line and marks the boundary between the liquid (milky) and solid (starchy) areas of maturing kernels. Kernel moisture at beginning of dent stage is about 55 percent.
• About 55 to 60 days after silking, kernel dry weight usually reaches its maximum and kernels are said to be physiologically mature and safe from frost. Physiological maturity occurs shortly after the kernel milk line disappears and just before kernel black layer forms at the tip of the kernels. Kernel moisture content at maturity averages 30 percent, but can vary 25 to 40 percent grain moisture. Harvest maturity is usually considered to be near 25 percent grain moisture.