Jun 09, 2010
Central Corn Belt Crops Receiving Too Much or Too Little Rain
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The crops in the central Corn Belt are generally in good condition, but there are areas where the crops are less than ideal. Excessive rains in southern Iowa, northern Missouri, central Illinois, central Indiana, and northwestern Ohio has led to a significant amount of standing water and drowned out crops. In contrast, northern Iowa, eastern South Dakota and most of southern Minnesota has received less than the normal amount of rainfall over the last thirty days, but they have received rain over the last few days.
A recent trip through the central Corn Belt resulted in the following observations.
Illinois - The best corn on this trip was in central Illinois where the tallest corn was approaching knee high and the shortest corn was ankle high. The best corn fields looked to be in excellent condition with good stands, a uniform height, and a dark green color. But, in the exact same area there was also a problem with some of the corn due to standing water. Heavy rains on Saturday filled the potholes once again drowning out the corn for the second time in some places.
Those potholes were dry in April allowing the farmers to plant right through them, but they have been filled with water twice since then. When the pot holes dried out from the first rains, most of them were replanted. The replanted corn was very small when they were filled with water for the second time. This small corn will certainly be drowned out, but now there are fewer options moving forward. It is less likely now that the corn will be replanted, so some may be claimed under insurance or maybe switched to soybeans if the situation allows it.
Most of the soybeans looked good in central and northern Illinois with the exception of the saturated and drowned out spots. The soybeans are only a few inches tall and it looked like there were good plant populations.
Excessive moisture in June is a double-edged sword. It allows the soil moisture to be fully recharged as we move into the hotter summer months, but it also encourages the crops to be shallow rooted, which could be a problem later in the summer if dry weather develops.
Northern Iowa - Northwest Iowa and southeast Iowa have had two different growing seasons thus far. In northwest Iowa the combination of dryer than normal weather and a late frost has left the corn crop uneven. Most of the corn is in good condition, but there are many fields where the corn could only be rated as in fair condition. In these fields, there are skips in the row where plants are missing and the height of corn is very uneven. Some of the corn has a normal height and some of the corn is only half as high. This lack of uniformity in height could be a problem later in the summer if the weather is less than ideal.
There were some showers in the region on Saturday, but the lawns in northern and northwestern Iowa were already starting to show some brown spots indicating a lack of moisture. The northern and northwestern crop reporting districts of Iowa indicate that xxxx of the topsoil moisture is rated as short or very short in moisture.
The soybeans in northern Iowa were emerging and just getting established. Most of the soybeans looked fine, but in the driest areas it appeared that some of the soybeans had not yet germinated. The recent rains should encourage the remainder of the soybeans to germinate.
Southern Iowa - The situation in southern Iowa is very different. Heavy rains across southern Iowa has left the corn crop very uneven with numerous drown out spots in the fields. The tallest corn was 12-15 tall and the shortest corn was 6-8 inches tall. The corn in the drowned out spots will either need to be replanted once it dries out or claimed as prevent plant under crop insurance. In the more saturated fields, the corn was uneven and yellowish in color due to a lack of oxygen in the root zone. It appeared that all the corn had been planted, but there will now need to be a significant amount of corn that will either be replanted, switched to soybeans, or claimed under insurance.
The soybeans across southern Iowa were in need of some sunny and dry weather. The soybeans that had been planted are still very small or have not yet germinated. Some of the soybean fields in southern Iowa have been too wet to plant and unfortunately now it will be at least the end of the week before any planting can resume provided there is no more rain.
Southern Minnesota - The situation across southern Minnesota is very similar to northern Iowa. Most of the corn crop would be rated as being good in condition, but a significant portion of the corn crop is uneven in its development. The combination of dry weather and the late frost has left the crop only in fair condition with less than an ideal plant population. The soybeans are still very small and the recent rainfall should encourage the remainder of the soybeans to now germinate.