Crop Watch 2025: Corn Yield Threats
Several threats are impacting corn yields this season, including overly tight tassel wrap, Southern Rust and tar spot.
Unscripted: ‘Overly Tight Tassel Wrap’ Affecting Pollination?
Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, joins Tyne Morgan and Clinton Griffiths to shed light on crop conditions, particularly pollination issues.
Crop Condition News
Nitrogen availability, root development and residue load determine whether crops stumble or race through June.
Meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says warmer Pacific waters - not just El Niño - could drive a wetter, stormier summer across much of the Midwest and central U.S.
Sidedressing is often the best opportunity in-season to address corn nutrient needs, but Ken Ferrie urges caution if you plan to go with “blind sidedressing” before the crop emerges or at spike. He offers three considerations.
Agronomist Phil Long explains the critical gap between air and soil temperatures and why the “heat engine” for corn and soybeans has stalled in some areas.
Record corn yields have risen 10x in 100 years. David Hula says continued genetic gains, along with a deeper understanding of what’s happening underground, could push yield potential far beyond what most farmers expect.
Tim Webster and Steve Crothers share their cropping plans, telling Ken Ferrie they hope to bounce back this season from record low rainfall and extreme heat in 2025.
Illinois grower Stephen Butz is uber-focused this season on removing the hidden barriers that have kept his bean crops from reaching their true potential.
University of Illinois researcher details scenarios in corn and soybeans where biological products can provide value.
Irrigation experts explain how tracking daily “deposits and withdrawals” can prevent costly watering mistakes and protect yields during critical growth stages.
In Texas, for example, more than half of the winter wheat is rated poor to very poor. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the state recently endured its fourth-driest stretch from September to February in the last 131 years.