Drought
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.
This spring turned into the wettest in over a century for parts of the U.S. As the focus shifts to June, the moisture in the ground will help keep the heat down, but the pattern is also turning drier for two Midwestern states.
The third round of disaster aid payments through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is the largest amount appropriated by Congress. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Brooke Appleton says those payments are being prepared now.
From emergence to maturity, nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for corn, but plants have different nitrogen demands at different growth stages. Consider how corn yields are influenced by nitrogen at VE, V6, V10-V12 and R5-R6.
Dust storms can occur anywhere there’s loose soil and wind. Along with Illinois, states including Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas have also experienced the problem this year.
The start of June could bring high heat and drier weather, which is a stark contrast from the forecast for the last week of May.