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Lack of rain showing yield losses in both corn and soybean crops.

Kyle Stackhouse 2

August 28, 2020

2 Min Read
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Crop conditions on our northern Indiana farm have gone from pretty good to pretty poor in just three weeks.

In the last three weeks, crop conditions here in northern Indiana have gone from pretty good to pretty poor. The last rain came from the derecho, and that was rather disappointing as a rain event.

Some corn may be far enough along to have minimal impact, but the majority of corn yields will see lower yield. The kernel depth and test weight will be lower. I have also seen some ears aborting kernels.

Soybeans even worse

The same can be said for soybeans, but to a greater extent. I traveled a loop across the southern half of lower Michigan and the northern half of Indiana last week. Everywhere I went you could see soybean plants severely wilting. Some plants are dying prematurely.

With no rain since that trip, conditions are only getting worse. We really need to pick up some rain. August is the most critical time for soybeans.

 

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We have sent the combines over to the dealership for inspections and some repairs. With us still in the thick of irrigation season, we just haven’t had time to get them done. We started going through the heads, but then our summer help went back to school. Those projects sit unfinished but are at the top of the list.

We’ve been so busy, we gave our truck driver a couple of weeks off, but as time permits I will review spring soil samples and task him with stockpiling lime for fall application. This is also the time of year when we usually fill our storage buildings with chicken litter, but I’m just not sure that is going to happen before harvest.

We have also had some changes on the home front. The past couple of years our older children have been permitted to participate in school activities. Well, thank you corona, that policy has changed too. So our 6th and 8th graders are now transitioning from 100% home schooled into half day classes at a local school.

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress. 

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