I'll be honest, test weight baffles me. Test weights are running lower than normal for Indiana corn, but only slightly lower than accepted test weights under federal guidelines.

When in doubt I have two sources for my questions: Google and my husband Chris. So far they have provided two of my favorite quotes concerning test weights:

"Test weight is a hornet's nest and one of the most contentious subjects in farming," Chris says.

"Among the top 10 most discussed (and cussed) topics at hometown cafes during harvest season is the test weight of grain being reported from corn fields in the neighborhood," says Bob Nielsen, Purdue Agronomy Department, in a September 2014 update.

Corn harvest: Are you experiencing low test weights in your corn? Why is it important?

Related: Genetics Play A Big Role in Test Weight

So what's test weight and why is it used?

Eons ago people traded grain in baskets, but Ezekial's basket was bigger than Abraham's, so someone decided to standardize baskets. There were different sizes of standardized baskets: the bushel, the peck and so on.

Then, buyers noticed Ezekial's standardized bushel baskets, while the same size and amount as Abraham's basket, it fed more sheep. Why? Was it the variety he planted?

Thus began the debate over test weight.

With the adoption of scales, a new way to measure grain was developed. Pounds and tons are the language of scales, but most people still thought in bushels for grains. That is when it was decided to try to simplify things and say, 56 pounds of corn is a bushel.

The question is how important is test weight and what causes it to be low? Does it affect the quality of processing for end products? Does it affect feed quality and efficiency for livestock?

Test weights were low in 2009 due to several factors according to Nielsen: Grain moisture, stress during grain fill and ear rot.

Related: Corn Harvest 'Weighs' on the Mind of this Indiana Farm Mom

Stress during grain fill played a major role– drought stress, late season foliar leaf diseases, and below normal temperatures throughout September of 2009.

While most areas had adequate amounts of rainfall, most of the summer we experienced below-normal temperatures and subsequently may have affected the kernel's ability to process starch fully.

The opinions of Jennifer Campbell are not necessarily those of Indiana Prairie Farmer or the Penton Farm Progress Group.