Feedback From The Field: June 23, 2020Feedback From The Field: June 23, 2020
Readers report solid corn and soybean crop quality so far this year.
June 23, 2020
What’s happening in your neck of the woods? Click this Feedback From The Field link to rate crops in your area and provide comments about your fields. We’ll update reports frequently with our interactive map. Thanks for participating!
The 2020 crop growing season got off to a faster-than-normal start, and quality ratings have held strong for the most part this spring.
USDA’s latest crop progress report, covering the week through June 21, showed 72% of the corn crop is rated in good-to-excellent condition, picking up a point versus the prior week. Soybean crop quality moved in the other direction after getting docked two points last week, but still is holding relatively strong, with 70% rated in good-to-excellent condition.
Our readers have seen similar but slightly lower crop quality so far this season. A limited number of respondents allowed Farm Futures to launch its 2020 series of weekly “Feedback From The Field” updates. (Note: This is a nonscientific poll and should be treated as anecdotal, but it generally becomes more accurate as more participants weigh in – click here to take the latest survey.)
Survey respondents indicated nearly 68% of their corn crop was in good-to-excellent condition. Another 20% was rated fair, with the remaining 11% rated poor or very poor.
Related:USDA crop progress: Corn quality shifts again
Even farmers who have excellent crop conditions understand the fragility of current quality if weather isn’t cooperative. “We will need some rain in the next week,” admits one Ohio respondent.
Another respondent from Iowa said crop quality was good but added they are “dry at this time.”
Soybean crop quality among respondents was also lower than USDA’s latest data, with just 62.5% rated in good-to-excellent condition. Another 30% of the crop is rated fair, with the remaining 7.5% rated poor or very poor.
Some respondents have reported multiple issues emerging that they must tackle.
“Early dryness, emergence, population, and chemical volatility are all issues,” notes one Nebraska farmer who rates their crop fair for now.
“Could use some rain,” echoed a Minnesota farmer, who said their corn would also benefit from extra moisture – “a good rain, and it would take off and even up.”
Farmers thirsty for more rainfall may get their wish heading into July – NOAA’s latest 8-to-14-day outlook predicts wetter-than-average conditions for most of the central U.S. between June 30 and July 6. Drought has been slowly creeping into the Midwest in recent weeks, with 19.3% of the region now affected, per the latest updates from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
About the Author(s)
Senior editor, Farm Futures
Senior Editor Ben Potter brings more than 14 years of professional agricultural communications and journalism experience to Farm Futures. He began working in the industry in the highly specific world of southern row crop production. Since that time, he has expanded his knowledge to cover a broad range of topics relevant to agriculture, including agronomy, machinery, technology, business, marketing, politics and weather. He has won several writing awards from the American Agricultural Editors Association, most recently on two features about drones and farmers who operate distilleries as a side business. Ben is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
You May Also Like
Gauging when planters roll
Feb 06, 2023Cow numbers drop to 61-year low
Feb 03, 2023How has inflation affected your farm?
Feb 03, 2023
Corn prices hang on for modest gains
Jan 18, 2023Be intentional with your communication this winter
Feb 06, 2023Oklahoma beef cattle numbers drop sharply
Feb 06, 2023Wheat Prices: If things get back to normal
Jan 18, 2023
