After the Hail: Agronomist Warns Iowa Farmers of Disease, Lodging and Grain-Quality Risks

Farmers across parts of Iowa are now assessing the aftermath of a powerful hailstorm that tore through a wide swath of corn and soybean fields late Friday.

For veteran Pioneer field agronomist Troy Deutmeyer, the extent of the damage is unlike anything he has seen in three decades of working with Iowa crops.

“This is a hailstorm that, I guess in the 30 years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve not seen the magnitude of that damage,” Deutmeyer says. “And then also the sheer area that it covered was just something I’ve never experienced before.”

The storm carved a path from southern Minnesota (Martin County) through north-central and eastern Iowa, before continuing south. In some areas, Deutmeyer says the damage stretched more than 10 miles wide.

Along with Iowa, other Midwest states experiencing damaging storms the past few days, include parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Bruising Raises Disease and Lodging Concerns

The concern, now, is what happens to damaged corn and soybean crops in the weeks ahead.

Much of the Iowa corn Deutmeyer saw was between the R3 and R4 growth stages — from milk to dough — meaning the crop still had significant yield potential left to fill.

Deutmeyer says he is seeing significant bruising on corn stalks and soybean stems. Those injuries could create entry points for bacteria and fungi, potentially leading to stalk-quality concerns as the crop continues through grain fill.

“Oftentimes you see when you have this kind of bruising, we’re going to get bacteria and fungi enter into those stalks and stems, and bring stalk quality issues and possibly lodging losses as we move forward,” he says.

That makes continued scouting of fields particularly important.

Farmers will need to watch damaged fields for signs of stalk deterioration and weakening plants as the season progresses. Deutmeyer has shared photos and hail-loss charts via social media to help growers evaluate the severity of damage in their own fields.

Stripped Leaves, Lost Pods Plague Soybean Fields

Soybeans are also facing a set of challenges from storms that swept through Iowa fields.

Many of the damaged soybean fields were at R4, or full pod, while some late-planted fields were still at R3.

“In many soybean fields, not only were most of the leaves stripped off, but also a lot of pods laying on the ground,” he says.

Heavy rain and hail also flattened some soybean fields. That could become increasingly important at harvest, when lodged plants may create difficulties for combines and increase the potential for field losses.

Grain Quality Could Become Another Concern

In the livestock-heavy parts of Iowa, Deutmeyer is also warning farmers there to think beyond yield losses only.

He recommends keeping grain from severely damaged fields separate from grain harvested from healthy acres.

“Those bushels are going to have to be managed separately,” he says.

The reason is the potential for grain-quality problems following severe crop damage. Deutmeyer says growers should keep a close eye on storm-damaged grain and be particularly cautious when determining how it will be used for livestock feed.

“We’ve seen in the past, when you get damage of this magnitude, that vomitoxins and things like that, aflatoxins become quite prevalent,” he says.

Focus Shifts to Documentation and Management

This week, Deutmeyer says his focus is on helping growers document their losses, continue scouting damaged fields, evaluate standability and develop a management plan for harvest.

For farmers who had strong-looking crops before the hail arrived, the next several weeks will be about determining how much yield potential remains — and protecting what is left from disease, stalk deterioration, lodging and grain-quality problems.

You can hear the full discussion between Deutmeyer and Flory on AgriTalk at the link below: