Ferrie: 5 Next Steps for Corn And Soybeans Under Water or Affected by Heavy Rainfall

While parts of the U.S. are dry as a bone, some areas, like central Illinois, have had too much rain in the past week.

If that describes your situation, now is a good time to fly drones and capture aerial images of corn and soybean fields and to evaluate and map areas with standing water, drowned out spots and gullies, says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist and owner of Crop-Tech Consulting, Heyworth, Ill.

Don't let weeds get a foothold. In fields or areas of fields where your corn crop is drowned out, be proactive to prevent weeds from taking over, says Ferrie in this week’s Boots In The Field report.

“We’ve got to control weeds in those areas. We learned that the hard way here in 2015 and are still fighting waterhemp from six years ago,” Ferrie says. “Even if you have to cut a trail out to them, get an ATV and go out and spray those areas. Or consider putting in some cover crops. Just don’t let those weeds go to seed.”

In soybeans, Ferrie says some of the premium of early planted crops have likely been lost due to water stress. He notes that iron chlorosis, Rhizoctonia and Phytophthora can start to cause issues in water-saturated areas.

“You may want to entertain some foliar feeding in those areas,” he advises.

Likewise, in corn that has been subject to heavy rain you may have lost a considerable amount of nitrogen (N).

“If you put the bulk of your N on last fall, your crop is most at risk. Next would be the spring-applied nitrogen that was broadcast. The least at risk would be N that went on during the last couple of weeks in a Y-drop format. A lot of that is still in the ammonium form,” Ferrie explains.

Nitrogen use now still adds to yield. Ferrie says to not walk away from your corn crop at this point in the season—especially if it was subject to heavy rains.

“We saw a 30- to 60-bu. response to adding more nitrogen to our corn after the heavy 2015 rains we had,” he recalls.

Scouting as well as aerial photos and yield maps can help you determine whether your corn is currently at risk. Y-drop equipment might still give you an application option for N, or you might consider flying on urea, Ferrie says.

“I’m most concerned about corn that turns yellow after pollination and stays yellow,” he notes.

Here are three additional take-aways Ferrie offers:

Pest problems – Japanese beetles are the biggest threat in corn currently. “They will go after your late-pollinated corn,” he says. “Don’t forget to monitor replanted fields, because they’ll pollinate a couple of weeks or so after the rest of your crop.”

Disease concerns – Heavy rains and standing water in combination with heat can create higher levels of humidity in fields and allow disease problems to build. “We’ve been disease-free for the most part until now, but I expect to see disease pressure build over the next few weeks,” Ferrie says. “This may be the year to spray fungicide.”

Volunteer corn outlook – The heavy rainfall is likely to promote volunteer corn in fields where you had down corn late last season, so keep an eye on those fields or areas most likely to be affected.

Ferrie’s complete recommendations are available on his podcast, available below:

Talking Technology: Ferrie Says This Investment Can Yield Up to $100/Acre Profits

Ferrie: Corn Plots Show 75-Bu. Yield Swing Based on Nitrogen Rates, Timing

Ferrie: 6 Ways To Harvest More Corn And Leave Less In The Field

Ferrie: Additives Placed With In-Furrow Starter Yielded Dryer Corn