Anyone trying to sell their landowner or convince themselves that tile will help in wet spots may want to pay careful attention to what's going on this year. If the Crop Watch '14 field is any indication, you likely have some wet spots, from drowned out to just stunted corn. The yield monitor will likely pick that up this fall.
Crop Watch 6/27: Don't Let a Strange Plant Sighting in the Corn Field Get You Down
What is not as obvious now is how far out that yield loss, or a varying degree of yield loss, might extend. Based on the Crop Watch '14 field, corn well out of the heart of the wet spot that was never ponded still shows some signs of wet feet. It is shorter and not as dark green than plants around it where water didn't run or pond.
You can identify those spots now by scouting. See the picture. If you want, mark it with GPS. This particular spot happens to be in the corner of a field so it will be easy to find this fall. Odds are that yield will be affected beyond just where the water ponded in heavy rains over the past several weeks.
The Crop Watch '14 project is sponsored by Seed Consultants, Inc. The idea is to give an indication of what might be happening in your fields based on what's showing up in one field. The field is in the Eastern Corn Belt. Heavy rains didn't hit everywhere this spring, but they have been a dominant factor for many areas.
Crop Watch 6/23: Yellow Spots Deserve Watching for Nitrogen Deficiency
The rainfall has also been spotty. Some areas have received more than others. How that amount of rain and distribution patterns affect yields will be more evident this fall.
Watch for details about a yield guessing contest to win free seed later in the season. All you have to do is guess the final yield of the Crop Watch '14 field. At this point, the vast majority of the field is dark green and growing quickly. Most of the field is at the 10 -leaf stage.
Check back every Monday and Friday to follow the progress of the Crop Watch field.