It’s a weather report no one wants to hear.

Hail during the summer storm season can take a farmer’s hopes to zero in a matter of minutes. But once the clouds clear and the insurance adjuster makes their evaluations, what’s a farmer to do?

Kansas State University agronomists advise growers to first take stock of the development stage of their corn crop. If the corn is at the very early stages of development, there might not be enough of the plant above ground to sustain damage from the hail. According to experts, if the hail comes early in the season, and the corn has less than five leaves at the time of the hailstorm, that growing point is likely below ground. That means, the corn may recover with time.

“The growing point of a corn plant is at the top of the stem, which contains the cells that are actively dividing and elongating and will become the tassel,” says Ignacio Ciampitti, a Kansas State University professor of farming systems. “Even if the hail took the leaves off and pounded that little plant into the ground, it should grow out of it with few long-term problems.”

However, following the early July hailstorms that hit much of southwest Kansas, much of the damaged corn was more mature and further along. In that case, Ciampitti and others at K-State advise growers to wait a few days to evaluate damage. Then, go back to the field and look for signs such as:

Options

Some farmers may be considering replanting. But depending on the timing of the storm, their options may be limited by final crop insurance planting dates. The University of Nebraska’s Crop Watch offers this advice to farmers who are considering replanting to another crop:

Maybe cover crops?

Depending on the timing of the hailstorm, a farmer may not have a second option for a crop to replant in its place. But if the overall goal of the farmer is to improve soil and water quality by suppressing weeds and keeping applied nitrogen out of waterways, cover crops may work.

Be sure to speak to a crop insurance agent before proceeding, experts advise. But farmers may be able to integrate cover crops while complying with policy. Some can be interseeded into the hailed-out stand. Likely, if it’s late in the season, a forage cover crop may be the only way to salvage production costs.

Visit eupdate.agronomy.ksu.edu/article/assessing-hail-damage-to-corn-599-1 and cropwatch.unl.edu/hailknow to explore more.