Crop Conditions
As smoke covers much of the Midwest, it’s providing a layer of protection from high heat in areas like eastern North Dakota. One agronomist says some of the crops in the central and western parts are already fried.
In soybeans, look for white mold issues this week. Initial symptoms generally develop in the R3 to R6 production stages.
Farmers across South Dakota and eastern Iowa are breathing a sigh of relief into the weekend. That’s after rains hit parched crops, relieving some major crop stress for now.
Bean planting populations of 190,000 to 220,000 in washed out areas can help keep weeds from taking over.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says unfavorable weather means everything from barley to spring and durum wheat are getting scorched this year. Crop condition ratings continue to tumble as dryness and heat persist.
As June closed on a wetter note for portions of the Midwest, three agricultural meteorologists forecast July, indicating continued rains for the corn crop in some areas, but drastic drought areas growing even drier.
Wet weather forecasts across the Midwest caused commodity prices to tank Tuesday, with soybean oil and corn hitting the daily limits lower. Much of the Midwest is forecast to receive rain at key pollination time.
Rains continue to fall across portions of the Midwest this week, a sign one ag meteorologist says could mean Midwestern drought conditions have peaked. However, the news isn’t as promising for the northern Corn Belt.
Areas of the Corn Belt in need of moisture are finally seeing rain this week, but it came with severe crop damage to portions of Iowa after hail wiped out some farm fields this week.
The frigid air that blew through the northern Corn Belt last weekend left its mark on corn and soybean fields. From burnt leaf tissue to blotchy, curled leaves, Missy Bauer shares these tips to evaluate frost damage.
The Kansas Wheat Quality Council’s 2021 winter wheat tour wrapped up after making it’s way across the state. And the 2021 yield potential is high. Scouts uncovered the highest tour average on record going back to 2000.
Gated tile systems can help deal with troublesome issues.
Nationwide, USDA shows 72% of the corn crop is rated good to excellent, which is a 4 percentage point drop from last week. This week’s rating is also 3 points behind last year.
Drought conditions have lessened a bit in portions of North Dakota thanks to some rain, but frigid temperatures late last week and into the weekend also took its toll on crops across the upper Midwest.
The dire drought situation is one USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey thinks could last through at least the remainder of 2021. Forecasts also point to a drier weather pattern returning for Texas and the Plains.
The final days of May were soggy and cold for areas of the Plains, which was a sudden switch from the dryness headlining the weather year so far. The wet weather could dampen outlooks for winter wheat harvest in areas.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says northern Iowa saw the third latest freeze in history, only behind the years 1897 and 1947. The damage is now exposed in fields, with acres of no-till soybeans wiped out.
Even with rains hitting areas of the Plains and Corn Belt last week, U.S. corn planting progressed to 95% complete, a five-point bump in a week and three percentage points ahead of last year’s pace.
It’s a steady theme since USDA introduced corn crop condition ratings this year. The quality of the crop continues to decline, with corn dropping 4 points each week. Soybean conditions also fell.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says dryness is a major factor impacting corn condition ratings in some areas. U.S. corn crop condition ratings dropped another 4 points this week, according to the latest USDA report.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress report released Monday shows the corn crop condition ratings fell nationwide, down to 65% good to excellent. That compares to the 68% rated posted last week.
Wild weather over the weekend left some farmers are assessing the damage. Powerful winds and heavy rain hit some fields hard, with down corn as a result. after weekend rains and winds hit some fields hard.
Federal and state water projects say they will provide little to no irrigation water to many agricultural customers, so farmers must calculate how much food they can grow with their limited supplies.
Colder temperatures headed your way? Consider parking your planter for a few days. Worried you need to replant a field? Free tools available here to help you make the decision.
While corn and soybean prices continue to march higher, farmers are making progress getting the 2021 corn, soybean and cotton crops in the ground.
“Over the last 20 years, we’ve never seen a drought situation looking like this through February,” says Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Eric Snodgrass.
Hard late-March rains in Argentina have set the stage for smooth wheat and barley sowing, but the storms arrived too late to help corn and soy yields in areas that had been pounded by months of dry weather.
As the industry tries to get the scope of damage in Iowa, Pro Farmer editor Brian Grete takes you into a damaged corn field to show viewers why measuring the derecho damage was so difficult this year.
As of June 16, USDA estimates 92% of the U.S. corn crop has been planted.