Crop Conditions
A perfect stand sets the stage for high ear count at harvest. But what if, despite your best efforts, a stand starts out troubled?
Drew Lerner of World Weather, Inc. says he’s concerned about the potential for a widespread frost and freeze later next week. Current models are conflicting on how widespread it will be and how cold it will get.
Drought continues to tighten its grip across the Plains, forcing farmers in West Texas to make some very difficult decisions this growing season. It’s also causing concerns about crumbling cotton infrastructure.
Determine the causes of gaps, late-emerging plants and missing ears so you know how to fix the problems in the future.
As Ontario, Canada farmer Julie Maw scouts her wheat fields, it’s the moment of truth for the record number of acres planted across the province this year.
Farm Bureau finds 2022 weather events added up to 18 weather and climate disasters, each with damages exceeding $1 billion.
Scenes across Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas resemble the Dust Bowl after winds topping 100 mph ravaged the area. Growers are dealing with a dryland wheat crop that could already see abandonment as high as 80%.
As La-Niña ends, meteorologists say the next two months could determine whether we see a drought like 2012 or a return of regular rains across the lower 48.
Tar spot is tearing through Midwest cornfields, causing quick maturity and in some cases, cutting yields in half. Missy Bauer has tips for assessing which fields should be harvested first to salvage the yield left.
The constellation will collect high-quality data for crop monitoring, application mapping, soil moisture, yield prediction and biomass levels.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service announces the Federal Grain and Inspection Service will publish a proposed rule seeking public comment on whether to make changes to U.S. grading standards for soybeans.
Some Iowa growers saw huge yield losses this season from a so-called edge effect. Illinois farmers also report seeing it ding yields. Agronomists are working to confirm contributing factors but haven’t nailed them down.
Pro Farmer estimates the U.S. corn crop at 13.759 billion bushels, with an average yield of 168.1 bu. per acre, and the U.S. soybean crop at 4.535 billion bushels, with an average yield of 51.7 bu. per acre.
Tuesday’s Crop Tour trek through Nebraska and Indiana gave scouts a glimpse at the moderate to exceptional drought Mother Nature has brought down on soil and crops this growing season.
Extreme weather situations, including the annual Derecho, hit regions on the eastern leg earlier this year. While the eastern Corn Belt isn’t as dry as its western counterpart, yield potential looks lower than 2021.
Getting the crop planted is just the start of the battle.
Hard Red Spring wheat ratings in the good to excellent categories dropped from 20% to 16% this week, compared to a five-year average of 66%.
“After this year there’s probably a situation now where we can use this technology to push our planting window just a little bit into more marginal conditions,” says Ken Ferrie.
Soybeans took a hit in Minnesota, which was the western leg’s trend this year. Corn showed more kernel depth and yield on both routes.
Day 4 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour is revealing some good to excellent corn and soybean crops in Iowa and Minnesota, along with concerns about drought in corn and the appearance of sudden death syndrome in beans.
The third day of the 2022 Pro Farmer Crop Tour is revealing a lot of average crops in some states, but Illinois and Iowa corn and soybeans are showing some strength.
On Day 2 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, scouts see a wide range of conditions in Indiana and Nebraska. Some irrigated corn and soybean fields are performing well, while dryland crops are struggling.
Iowa started off the season with historically high crop ratings but conditions have recently dropped with the recent heat and dryness and that may have taken the top end off yields.
Crop conditions in Nebraska dropped three-percent for both corn and soybeans last week and are likely to drop even more after this week’s extreme heat and dryness.
The growing season has been far from perfect, but a northeast pocket in the Corn Belt just might be the garden spot for corn thanks to strong stands and a steady stream of rain in July.
Steven Ebeling admits farming in West Texas is never easy, but 2022 has been a brutal blow with the majority of the dryland acres already counted as a total loss, and irrigated acres are now struggling to survive.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey is concerned about the impact this week’s high heat could have on corn production as the majority of the crop was planted late. The August forecasts are also concerning for soybeans.
Triple digit heat blankets the Southwest this week, and forecasters expect the ridge of high pressure to park over the western Corn Belt next week. AccuWeather projects U.S. corn production could be severely impacted.
Some corn took a beating this week, but it still has a lot of yield potential. Also, register for our Farm Journal Corn & Soybean College. We have all new agronomic topics to help you harvest more grain this fall!
The core of the Corn Belt is forecast to see above normal temperatures and below normal rain next week, and it could hit as the crop is in prime pollination with 50% of U.S. corn planted in a two-week period in May.