Drought

Portions of the central Plains, the Upper Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic will be in a heat dome by Tuesday. But first, those regions will see thunderstorms and heavy rains this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Both diseases are showing up earlier this summer than last year, according to Daren Mueller, Iowa State University plant pathologist. He says a new interactive tool from the Crop Protection Network can help farmers locate these diseases, and others, faster.

So far, the problem has been confirmed in four states. Agronomists are encouraging farmers to scout crops, estimate yield impacts in affected fields and determine whether to make adjustments to marketing plans.

The $16 billion in disaster aid covers crop losses due to natural disasters from 2023 and 2024. It’s the largest chunk of the $21 billion approved by Congress at the end of 2024.

Unlike most leaf diseases, tar spot starts impacting the crop at the bottom of plants. That means fungicides you apply must penetrate and get deep into the crop canopy to provide effective treatment. If you opt to not treat the disease, consider making plans to harvest early and pre-booking some dryer gas.

While USDA’s crop condition ratings don’t translate to a specific yield, with strong conditions, analysts say it’s possible the U.S. will see a national record corn yield this year. Current market chatter is a national corn yield anywhere from 185 bu. to 200 bu. per acre.

That percentage doesn’t tell the complete story, however. While farmers in the West and southeast Texas have endured weeks of dry conditions that’s not been the case in the central Corn Belt where growing conditions have been excellent.

With product and application costs totaling between $30 and $40 per acre, farmers will be taking a harder look at where they make the investment this season.

The silver lining, meteorologists say, is many farmers and livestock producers in the central and eastern U.S. have had sufficient moisture this spring and milder temperatures headed into summer. For some, that’s about to change.

Iowa corn quality leads the nation currently, with 83% of the state’s crop rated good to excellent. North Dakota is on the struggle bus for both corn and soybeans.