After dodging inclement weather left and right to get this year’s crop in the ground, farmers continue to face Mother Nature’s challenges this growing season.
According to the latest USDA crop progress report, the condition of corn and wheat has started to decline. The majority of corn is still in good condition (58%), but it is down 2% from last week’s report, while the amount in poor condition (4%) is slightly higher. Winter wheat reported to be in good condition (39%) is down by 2%, while the amount in fair (34%) or poor (13%) condition is up by 2%.
This is the first week USDA provided a soybean condition report. The majority of the crop is currently landing in the good (60%) and fair (24%) categories.
This decline can likely be chalked up to various weather events across the country. Texas farmer Lindsay Kimbrell shares her family’s corn has not only been drowned by rain, but also beaten down by hail.
Another 1.5” of rain today, if y’all were wondering.
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 5, 2024
And I think the corn is losing its mind 🤨
Or should I tell everyone I have corn so good it’s growing 4 ears?! pic.twitter.com/Hk08XedDb2
The difference in a half mile.
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 11, 2024
Hail damage on both ends, but one end significantly worse. pic.twitter.com/biZT6cVeQT
The hail and rain combination is familiar to this Missouri grower as well.
2 of our hayfields are under water & 2nd planting of corn is lost to the flood. 1st corn planting destroyed by hail 😢. What a life some years pic.twitter.com/d05ZTFDES4
— Sharon (@SharonK4859) June 10, 2024
Another Texas grower is experiencing the effects of excess rain on his wheat field.
The #wheat has had better days… pic.twitter.com/unc7kkiObc
— Ale Frick (@Engineer_Farmer) June 5, 2024
Iowa agronomist Nicole Stecklein has seen a wide variety of issues this week as well.
This week in pictures:
— Nicole Stecklein (@NicoleStecklein) June 8, 2024
More seedling disease, mid May planting dates in Fayette, Buchanan, Bremer, Black Hawk counties hit hard.
Slug damage in no till
Extreme sand blasting
Discovering NH3 toolbar issues pic.twitter.com/Hx3puq3Xq8
While it’s probably too early in the season to know what this year’s crop will look like based on USDA’s condition reports, Arlan Suderman of StoneX Group shares the historical relationship between June 9 crop conditions and final yield.
This week's #corn condition index score is 384, vs 385 the previous week, 361 the previous year, and vs the 10-year average for the date of 376. I know some of you are wondering what it was in this week in 2019 - 355. #oatt pic.twitter.com/gBXzEjXBZX
— Arlan Suderman (@ArlanFF101) June 10, 2024
What is your crop looking like? Let us know in AgWeb’s Crop Comments.
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