Hail

When Weird Corn Ears Wreck the Bottom Line

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:58:07 GMT

Abnormal corn ears may look like a cosmetic problem, but depending on the severity, they can deliver a significant hit to yield, reports Osler Ortez, Ohio State University corn specialist.

“If a field is managed for 200-bushel corn but only delivers 100 bushels because abnormal ears dominate, then every pound of nitrogen, every inch of irrigation and every pass you make across that field becomes much harder to justify,” he says.

Yield losses from abnormal corn ears can range from 35% to 91% in affected plants, with typical field-wide impacts often trailing lower, Ortez reports.

For reference, an “average” corn ear generally produces 16 kernel rows with about 800 kernels per ear, according to the Iowa State Extension.

Irregularities such as zipper ears (shown below), earless plants or multiple ears, reduce grain yield through poor kernel set, abortion or reduced kernel weight.

A common abnormality called zipper ear is caused by kernel abortion or failed pollination. The issue is often triggered by severe environmental stress during early grain fill or pollination from factors including drought, high heat or nutrient deficiency.

(R. L. Nielsen, professor emeritus and Purdue University Corn Specialist, retired)

Ortez emphasizes no single factor explains abnormal ear development. It’s nearly always the result of an interaction between three factors that corn researchers refer to as GEM:
G — Genetics (hybrid)

E — Environment (weather, stress)

M — Management (practices)

He adds that understanding when the stress is happening, the timing of it, is also important. For instance, early-season stress can limit ear initiation and potential ear number, while midseason issues impact pollination and kernel set. Late-season stress reduces kernel fill and overall weight.

Strategic Management Levers

While the weather can’t be controlled, Ortez says understanding the GEM interaction gives corn growers more leverage than they realize.

He lists three management decisions that can help growers mitigate the risk of abnormal ear development:

1. Evaluate the genetics: Treating hybrid selection as a defensive tool against ear problems — right alongside disease tolerance and standability — is one of the clearest ways to lower risk.

2. Pick a recommended seeding rate: In Nebraska field trials, Ortez observed abnormal ears increased at both ends of the seeding rate spectrum.

“Chasing a few extra bushels with aggressive populations, especially on drought-prone or otherwise stressed acres, often backfired when stress hit at the wrong time,” he notes. Conversely, pulling populations too low also created conditions where ear development went off track.

3. Consider the planting date: Researchers found planting hybrids outside the optimal window — either very early into cold, wet conditions or very late into heat and moisture stress — made it more likely sensitive growth stages would line up with damaging stress. Matching planting date to local recommendations and the strengths of a given hybrid proved to be an important way to reduce those risky overlaps.

Ultimately, by tuning into GEM, farmers can better safeguard their investments. As Ortez points out, the more sides of that triangle a farmer can stabilize or improve, the less likely a season’s worth of hard work and inputs will be undone by a field of problem ears.

Hear Ortez share more of his research on abnormal ear development in a recent podcast sponsored by the Crop Protection Network.

'Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back With Your Forecast'

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 22:14:43 GMT

What if you could know the timing of significant weather events for your area during the next six months with 91% accuracy?

Now you can, according to Gary Lezak, a former meteorologist with KSHB-TV in Kansas City turned weather entrepreneur.

Lezak’s business, Weather 20/20, provides weather-based data analytics on a global basis to its customers, who range from farmers to retailers to general consumers.

Eighty Years In The Making
Lezak learned in the mid-1980s that a weather cycle exists, an insight he attributes to Jerome Namais, who first addressed the concept in the 1940s. Namais, a renowned American meteorologist, was Chief of the United States Weather Bureau’s Extended Forecast Section in Washington, D.C. from 1941 to 1971.

“What it’s all about is the weather pattern above us – the river of air that goes across North America through the westerly belt, across to Europe, Asia, and then back around across the Pacific. That jet stream flow, that river of air above us, has an order to it,” Lezak told Andrew McCrea, host of the Farming The Countryside podcast, during a recent conversation.

For the next 20 years Lezak continued to study the weather cycling concept, refining what he learned as he went along.

By the early 2000s, Lezak was blogging about what he had learned, eventually calling the concept he developed the Lezak Recurring Cycle (LRC). He founded Weather 20/20 in 2008.

“The LRC is all about the cycle,” Lezak says. “After many years of practicing it, 20 to 30 years of using it, we are able to predict when and where and a little bit of the what,” with regard to weather, he told McCrea.

The core tenet of the LRC is that a unique weather pattern establishes itself every year. It starts to set up in early October, with develpment continuing through early January. By then, Lezak says the pattern can be identified and predictions of every day’s weather around the world can be produced.

Based on the LRC, Lezak says he can predict with a 91% accuracy level when and where there will be major weather events – from snowstorms to hurricanes to droughts – for the next seven to eight months in the U.S.

“That (timing) is the sweet spot of the LRC and fits agriculture perfectly,” Lezak says.

He adds that Mother Nature still creates weather disruptions he can’t predict 9% of the time, based on influences such as El Nino, La Nina and the Arctic Oscillation.

Lezak’s take on the accuracy of weather forecasts differs from what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports, though an apples-to-apples comparison is not available.

The NOAA says a seven-day forecast can accurately predict the weather about 80 percent of the time and a five-day forecast can accurately predict the weather approximately 90 percent of the time. However, a 10-day—or longer—forecast is only right about half the time.

Agriculture Takes Notice
As Lezak was honing the development of the LRC in the early 2000s, fellow meteorologist, Dean Wysocki, then based in Nebraska, learned of it and reached out to Lezak for more details.

Wysocki started using the information he learned during his broadcasts, noting that Nebraska farmers were hungry for more accurate weather insights and predictions.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s a game changer. That’s the easiest way to put it,” says Wysocki, who joined Lezak on the podcast.

Wysocki, now based in Fargo, N.D., got LRC certified and began telling farmers in the Dakotas and Minnesota about its benefits.

“It’s a major piece of long-term weather forecasting, and the accuracy on it has just been amazing,” Wysocki says. “We’ve signed up between about 50 to 100 in our ag community and we’ve got nothing but positive feedback. Is it 100% correct? No, nothing is, but it’s a great tool to have on your tool belt.”

The Weather Outlook Ahead
During the conversation with McCrea, Lezak and Wysocki shared some of their weather predictions for late winter and early spring 2025, based on information the LRC has provided. Here are three of their predictions:

1. Lezak says a La Nina, which is the cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, has a grip currently on parts of the western and upper Corn Belt areas, but he expects that to ease up.

“That grip that it has tends to shift precipitation patterns to the eastern Corn Belt. That’s not good for Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota,” Lezak says. “It shifts precipitation patterns to the East, but that grip we think is going to be let loose by March.”

2. Wysocki says he foresees a wetter spring, in March and April, for most of the Dakotas.

“We’ll get our moisture that we need in March and more than likely into the first part of April, and that should be good for planting season,” he says. “I’m still concerned about the western Dakotas into areas of Montana and Wyoming, worried that they’ll remain dry.”

3. With regard to drought, Lezak encourages farmers to keep an eye on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, as he says droughts are constantly either shrinking or expanding.

“It appears that over the last year or so that areas of drought, as we look at the entire nation, have begun to decrease,” he says. “This one has been shrinking for weeks, and that is a good sign. The likelihood of that trend continuing is high.”

Wysocki and Lezak offered additional weather insights during their conversation with McCrea. You can hear more of those specifics on the podcast, available here:

Your next read: With More Arctic Air Set to Blast the U.S., Why This Winter Could Be Remembered for Its Extremes

Got Hail-Damaged Corn? Develop a Plan for Managing the Crop from Now to Harvest

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 21:34:38 GMT

Kevin Keller has high hopes for the 2024 Nebraska corn crop and with good reason. USDA is predicting record yield averages of 194 bu. per acre for corn and 59 bushels for soybeans, based on August 1 conditions. Keller’s one question for now is how much recent storms have impacted what farmers will combine come harvest.

“When you look at some of the key corn-producing counties that were hit hard by hail, like Phelps County, that’s going to have a significant impact on the state’s final yield results,” Keller, a Pioneer field agronomist, told AgDay’s Michelle Rook earlier this week.

Farmer scouts saw significant damage in corn fields across southern and south-central Nebraska.

“We came through looking for it (hail damage), and I knew it was here. Probably 20,000 to 30,000 acres,” says Leon Dorn, who farms near Adams, Neb.

“There’s probably a 9- or 10-mile-long area where we saw hail damage and there was nothing to sample,” adds Brent Judisch, an Iowa farmer and scout on the western leg of the Tour.

While Nebraska has endured “several rounds of hail,” Keller says, it’s not the only state with farmers dealing with the problem this season.

Corn Growth Stage Is A Big Consideration

Iowa and Illinois farmers are also dealing with damaged corn crops, due to recent bouts of hailstorms.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie says some fields on the west side of Illinois were hit by hail last week, with much of the crop between V12 and V14 growth stages.

“We spent some time in those fields, and the top of the plants look OK. But from the ear zone down the (stalks are bruised) and yield will be affected,” Ferrie says.

Older corn plants hit by hail often sustain stalk bruising, whorl damage and physical damage to kernels on the ears, says Daniel Quinn, Purdue Extension corn specialist, during a recent webinar on assessing hail damage.

Assess yield loss by corn growth stage.

(USDA)

Severely bruised corn stalks from hail can limit the plants’ ability to translocate water and nutrients and/or cause the growing point region to die, Quinn reports.

“Yield loss in corn is greatest at the critical pollination period (VT/R1),” he says.

Ferrie says Illinois farmers who have had hail damage on their L1 hybrids in the past week to 10 days are likely to see some poor ear fill. Unfortunately, Ferrie says poor ear fill is often deemed “no loss” when it comes to working with hail insurance providers.

“If you’re in this area of Illinois that had hail and you have L1 hybrids planted, I would suggest that you ask the insurance adjuster to come out and take a second look, because you’re probably going to find a lot of small ears,” Ferrie says.

Free Resource Available For Farmers

Iowa State Field Agronomists, Meaghan Anderson and Rebecca Vittetoe, advise contacting your crop insurance agent as soon as you are aware of the hail damage. However, they advise waiting approximately seven days after the hail event to actually evaluate damage, which allows for easier differentiation between dead and living tissue at this point in the growing season. A loss of 50% of leaf area at R3 (milk) would be associated with nearly 20% loss in corn yield.

Quinn says to not apply a fungicide to a hail-damaged crop with the expectation that will help the crop recover. “There is a common misconception that foliar fungicides will improve crop recovery and yield following hail damage. This is largely not true due to bacterial diseases being the primary invader of corn following hail, which foliar fungicides are unable to control. In addition, a defoliated crop is less likely to effectively take up fungicide,” Quinn says in an online article available at Assessing Hail Damage On Corn - Extension Entomology.

However, be proactive in checking hail-damaged corn, say Vittetoe and Anderson. “Monitor stands carefully for the development of stalk and ear rots that could result in crop lodging and grain quality issues. Damaged grain will be at increased risk of mycotoxin.” The Iowa State field agronomists have developed a free resource for farmers to use to assess damage in older corn crops, available here: Effect of Late-Season Hail on Corn and Soybean

How Pro Farmer's 2024 Yield Estimates Compare to USDA Expectations

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 19:39:45 GMT

For four days this past week, more than 100 crop scouts sampled 2,000 to 3,000 fields in seven Midwest states as part of the one-of-a-kind Pro Farmer Crop Tour . Building on the boots-on-the-ground data and observations, Pro Farmer considers crop maturity and historical differences in Crop Tour data versus USDA’s final yields to release its national production estimates.

“One of the major questions heading into Crop Tour was whether the corn and soybean crops could live up to the lofty expectations,” says Brian Grete, editor for Pro Farmer. “Of the two crops, I was more impressed with soybeans than corn, and the corn crop is stellar.”

Here are the 2024 Pro Farmer National Production Estimates.

Corn Yield Estimates

“The first two days of the tour all we did was move bushels from South Dakota and Nebraska to Ohio and Indiana compared with USDA estimates,” says Chip Flory, host of “AgriTalk.” “We had laid the groundwork for a really good crop in Iowa, but in northwest Iowa, we ran into problems, which we anticipated after too much rain during the planting season. In our final day running the routes, we’ve got a nice crop in Iowa, but Minnesota is another story.”

On the eastern side of the Corn Belt, Grete and fellow scouts found a strong corn crop.

“USDA put a record yield on corn for five of the seven states,” he says. “Ohio isn’t one of those — but if we weren’t talking about last year’s record crop in Ohio, this year would be up there. This year is comparing to last year’s gold standard.”

Indiana: Trouble spots are few and far between. The corn crop posted higher numbers across the board for ear count, grain length and the number of kernels around the cob compared to the 2023 crop.

Illinois: While scouts saw variability in Illinois, the high-yielding fields far exceeded those that fell short, and the state is holding a big crop . Plant health looks good, and even the lower leaves are still green.

Iowa: Yield potential looks promising , especially in the southeast corner, the garden spot, of the state. The corn in east-central Iowa looks good, but the variability is more noticeable in the northeast.

Minnesota: The corn crop in Minnesota doesn’t look too good from the road, and it seems to have ran out of gas . Record rainfall during planting hurt the crop out of the gate, causing drowned out spots and yellow corn, followed by a dry summer.

Nebraska: Despite hail damage and fewer ears, the Nebraska corn crop looks promising with better numbers for grain length and kernels around the cob compared with 2023. Some dryland corn looks as good as irrigated acres thanks to cooperative weather.

Ohio: Despite drought conditions this year (59% of Ohio is currently seeing some level of dryness), the corn crop is proving to be resilient .

South Dakota: Historic flooding that occurred right after Father’s Day in the southeast part of the state left its mark. Scouts found fields with fewer ears , but grain length was up compared with 2023. It’s obvious the corn crop had two very different planting dates, so there’s two very different crops growing in the state.

Soybean Yield Estimates

“Soybeans could be spectacular as long as there isn’t a weather event that derails the crop ahead of harvest,” Grete says. “Typically, there’s some concern with either the corn crop, soybean crop or both coming out of Crop Tour. There aren’t concerns this year.”

Indiana: If soybeans can get a rain or two, yields should finish strong .

Illinois: Uniformity, heavily podded plants and good soil moisture — Illinois has all the ingredients for a big yield , which is a pleasant surprise. “For beans that don’t look that impressive, they certainly have a lot of pods on them,” says crop scout Mark Bernard.

Iowa: Soybean fields are consisten t and show minimal pest and weed pressure across the state, boasting big pod increases versus last year.

Minnesota: Soybeans seem to have handled the excess water better than the corn crop, but yield will be lucky to top 50 bu. per acre .

Nebraska: More pods and pods with three and four beans are good signs.

Ohio: The pod factory is still working. Plants are heavily podded and recent rains pumped moisture into the pods. The drought seems to have had little impact on yield potential.

South Dakota: Soybeans are inconsistent and could go either way this year. The crop is still filling out and has a ton of work to do to realize its potential, Flory says. If it doesn’t get it done, then it’s probably not going to be last year’s bean crop.

Tyne Morgan, host of “ U.S. Farm Report ,” sits down with Chip Flory and Brian Grete to recap the highlights and lowlights from the 32nd Pro Farmer Crop Tour.

Your Next Read — Take Our Poll: How Are Your Yields Shaping Up This Year?

Crop Ratings Down As Farmers Battle Heat, Wind And Hail

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:41:19 GMT

As this season’s corn and soybeans emerge, they’re being met with a wide variety of extreme weather events. And according to this week’s USDA report , the conditions of both crops are trending down.

The amount of corn currently in good or excellent condition is 72% (down from 74% last week), while the crop in poor or fair condition is 27% (up from 25%). Soybeans saw a similar trend with 70% in good or excellent condition (down from 72% last week) and 29% in poor or fair condition (up from 27%).

For farmers in South Dakota and Minnesota, this is the result of serious flooding.

3.50” overnight and more coming. pic.twitter.com/ge49rPAE6o
— Dylan Lindeman (@DylanLindeman10) June 17, 2024

Another 2 inches last night. Only 4 more inches to come. That is forecasted for this week. #plant24 pic.twitter.com/8pZqFIwOUG
— Hockey Farmer🥶 (@grfarmgoat) June 16, 2024

Unfortunately, those same crops may be drying out for a bit too long during the peak of the growing season.

New seasonal outlook for July-September Precipitation from Columbia Univ. IRI-Multi-Model Probability Forecast System. pic.twitter.com/Xe8OpBYcFV
— Eric Snodgrass (@snodgrss) June 17, 2024

A bit further south, the crops in Nebraska have seen massive hail.

3.8" hail that fell moments ago 5 miles SW of McCook, Nebraska @NWSGoodland #newx pic.twitter.com/ugkTIpIy7I
— Dan Fitts (@Dan_Fitts) June 17, 2024

And strong winds in Illinois led to a surprise in this corn field.

Got a little wind but the #corn will bounce right back pic.twitter.com/hkXX3wPULf
— Dave Bohm (@siskedorfarms) June 17, 2024

Many meteorologists are predicting more challenges ahead as extreme heat sets in across the country.

This pattern is going to present a world of problems for the US grains.

1. Extreme heat
2. NW flow severe storm clusters
3. Back to extreme heat by end of June
4. Excessively warm night time lows #AGwx #corn #soybeans #oatt https://t.co/cH2mcZmmmX pic.twitter.com/PGIRGSpIwC
— BAM Weather (BAMWX) (@bamwxcom) June 17, 2024

Weather Sends Corn And Wheat Conditions On The Decline

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 17:49:42 GMT

After dodging inclement weather left and right to get this year’s crop in the ground, farmers continue to face Mother Nature’s challenges this growing season.

According to the latest USDA crop progress report , the condition of corn and wheat has started to decline. The majority of corn is still in good condition (58%), but it is down 2% from last week’s report, while the amount in poor condition (4%) is slightly higher. Winter wheat reported to be in good condition (39%) is down by 2%, while the amount in fair (34%) or poor (13%) condition is up by 2%.

This is the first week USDA provided a soybean condition report. The majority of the crop is currently landing in the good (60%) and fair (24%) categories.

This decline can likely be chalked up to various weather events across the country. Texas farmer Lindsay Kimbrell shares her family’s corn has not only been drowned by rain, but also beaten down by hail.

Another 1.5” of rain today, if y’all were wondering.
And I think the corn is losing its mind 🤨
Or should I tell everyone I have corn so good it’s growing 4 ears?! pic.twitter.com/Hk08XedDb2
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 5, 2024

The difference in a half mile.
Hail damage on both ends, but one end significantly worse. pic.twitter.com/biZT6cVeQT
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 11, 2024

The hail and rain combination is familiar to this Missouri grower as well.

2 of our hayfields are under water & 2nd planting of corn is lost to the flood. 1st corn planting destroyed by hail 😢. What a life some years pic.twitter.com/d05ZTFDES4
— Sharon (@SharonK4859) June 10, 2024

Another Texas grower is experiencing the effects of excess rain on his wheat field.

The #wheat has had better days… pic.twitter.com/unc7kkiObc
— Ale Frick (@Engineer_Farmer) June 5, 2024

Iowa agronomist Nicole Stecklein has seen a wide variety of issues this week as well.

This week in pictures:
More seedling disease, mid May planting dates in Fayette, Buchanan, Bremer, Black Hawk counties hit hard.
Slug damage in no till
Extreme sand blasting
Discovering NH3 toolbar issues pic.twitter.com/Hx3puq3Xq8
— Nicole Stecklein (@NicoleStecklein) June 8, 2024

While it’s probably too early in the season to know what this year’s crop will look like based on USDA’s condition reports, Arlan Suderman of StoneX Group shares the historical relationship between June 9 crop conditions and final yield.

This week's #corn condition index score is 384, vs 385 the previous week, 361 the previous year, and vs the 10-year average for the date of 376. I know some of you are wondering what it was in this week in 2019 - 355. #oatt pic.twitter.com/gBXzEjXBZX
— Arlan Suderman (@ArlanFF101) June 10, 2024

What is your crop looking like? Let us know in AgWeb’s Crop Comments .

Related Stories:

How Important Are This Year’s Planting Delays?

Drought No More, Farmers Watch Western Kansas Corn Fields Get Hammered by Hail

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:58:49 GMT

What’s often called the “white combine” is hammering western Kansas this year, an ugly reality for an area that’s finally receiving rain after nearly five years of drought.

The hail has been widespread, but the severity varies field to field. Oakley, Kan., which sits southeast of Colby, seems to be a bull’s-eye for the hail. Sharon Springs, which is almost to the Colorado border, has also been hit hard by the severe weather.

Whitney Larson , who farms with her husband around Sharon Springs, says prayers were answered this spring when the rains started to fall, but the essential moisture is bringing other challenges.

“We had been in a catastrophic drought for five years,” Larson says. “Seeing rain has been a reminder that our faith finally paid off. We started seeing some rains in March and April, and it’s continued since then, but we did have some very bad hail three weeks ago and then again last night.”

Not only did the area see severe hail Monday night, but it also hit again Tuesday night.

“It’s been disheartening in the fact that it killed some crops,” she says. “But as far as the rain goes, it’s been a very, very big blessing this year.”

Western Kansas farmers are used to dealing with the good with the bad. Drought, hail and even tornadoes this year, the weather is a constant battle.

“Three weeks ago, we had what they say was straight line winds, but it was definitely a tornado,” Larson says. “We have neighbors who live four miles east, and it took out their shop and barn; a 160-year-old concrete barn is now completely gone.”

The tornado flipped over pivots and other machinery in the area.

Hail has been a more common sight, and it even impacted the Larson’s wheat crop. With all the rain, harvest was extremely late this year. Normally, they would be heavy in wheat harvest the beginning of July. This year, they hadn’t even started harvesting in mid-July.

“We had some wheat get tennis ball-size hail and completely totaled it,” Larson says. “But a lot of our wheat actually yielded better than we thought, which was a big blessing. The rains also mean a lot of our area has struggled with weeds.”

Impact on Yields

Some fields hit with hail are already a total loss, while other fields have shredded leaves. According to Crop-Tech Consulting’s Isaac Ferrie, the yield impact will vary.

“In fields that hadn’t pollinated yet, the hail could cause pollination issues, which obviously affects yield potential,” he explains. “In corn that is already tasseled, that means the leaf growth on the plant is done. So, whatever is damaged will not regrow.”

If the plants with shredded leaves can stay alive, Ferrie says they can still benefit the plant to some degree versus plants with leaves that turn brown and die.

“With shredded leaves, the benefit can be limited,” he adds. “It really depends on how long after pollination the hail happened, if the ear is into grain fill, and if so, how far into grain fill. The further along the ear is into grain fill, the better the yields will be.”

Drought Story Differs Greatly Across Kansas

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, dry conditions still cover nearly 88% of the state, with nearly 30% in D3, or extreme drought. In central and southeastern Kansas, the corn crop is showing signs of drought stress. However, 12% of the state is drought-free, which includes where the Larsons farm.

Moderate or severe drought is prevailing through much of the Corn Belt and many areas of #Kansas, #Missouri and #Nebraska are experiencing extreme #drought. Learn more about extreme heat and Kansas farm income in the article: https://t.co/luqqXatSnI pic.twitter.com/eIiCtbOhRH
— K-State Agronomy (@KStateAgron) August 9, 2023

What was green Monday is not upon returning today. #HarvestIsComing pic.twitter.com/wHEug1FF3j
— Brian Sieker 🌾 (@SiekerSales) August 4, 2023

Farm Bureau Finds 2022 Weather Disasters Amounted to $21 Billion in Crop Losses

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 22:46:36 GMT

The 2022 crop year saw many extreme weather events, including hail, drought and derechos.

Farm Bureau estimates , based on USDA analysis, these events add up to 18 weather and climate disasters, each with damages exceeding $1 billion.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported 2022 surpassed 2021 as the third-costliest disaster year event in history, with an estimated $165 billion in total economic losses behind only 2017’s $346 billion and 2005’s $244 billion.

“With over 470 lives lost, these disasters will haunt impacted communities for years to come,” the Farm Bureau report said.

Hardest Hit

The major disasters in 2022 accumulated to $21.4 billion in crop and rangeland losses, with $11 billion covered by preexisting risk management programs.

Of the $21.4 billion, $20.4 billion was lost to drought and wildfire. The remaining $1.08 billion in lost crops was due to hurricanes, hail, flooding and severe weather.

Here’s a breakdown of the 2022 crop losses.

State-by-State

According to Farm Bureau’s findings, Texas suffered the most loss in 2022. The 28^th state took a $6.4 billion hit in 2022. The losses include:

• $2.9 billion in cotton damages
• $1.7 billion in forage and rangeland damages
• $1 billion in wheat damages

Severe weather in April and May caused part of Texas’ depleted number, but drought was ultimately the main driver.

Drought also heavily impacted Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Corn in Kansas took a $1.2 billion hit, while Nebraska suffered $200 million and South Dakota lost $800 million. Soybeans also saw $700 million in losses in Kansas but fared better in Nebraska at $400 million in losses.

Filling the Gaps

To mitigate crop losses, Congress offered various ad hoc disaster assistance programs, such as the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) .

ERP has been divided into two phases, with the first phase devoted to producers who had previously enrolled in risk management programs. Phase two opened on Jan. 23 and is available for all other producers.

As of February, $7.4 billion in payments had been dispersed through Phase 1 of ERP.

Farmers Sharing Poor Crop Conditions On Social Media

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:30:00 GMT

With portions of the U.S. experiencing severe, extreme and exceptional drought conditions, farmers are posting photos showcasing just how much of an impact the lack of rain is having on their fields. Scroll down to see photos farmers are sharing.

One of the states most effected by drought has been Missouri, with the entire state facing dry conditions. At least 31% of Missouri’s corn crop is in poor to very poor shape. Soybeans, unfortunately aren’t much better, leaving some farmers having to make tough decisions like baling their beans.

.@USDA says 31% of Missouri’s corn crop is in poor to very poor shape. This is corn pm sandy soil in the Missouri River bottoms just south of Hardin, Mo. Fields go from stressed, but still green to this. The impacts of this year’s drought are real... and disheartening. pic.twitter.com/HE9h6K8VAz
— Tyne Morgan (@Tyne_Ag) August 1, 2018

How bad is the #drought here in East Central, MO? They are round baleing soybeans in Pike County right now. 1/2 the hay crop going into winter, farmers are making tough decisions. pic.twitter.com/qGkT97f8Hr
— Kyle Allen (@channelseed7) August 5, 2018

Similar dry conditions in the corn belt are leaving states like Iowa and Kansas high and dry. Lack of moisture has caused lack of pollination, causing many farmers to expect lower yields this harvest season.

Corn is cooking today in SE Iowa and not in a good way. #drought #corn pic.twitter.com/HnJorSwPfi
— john Dingman (@jdingman2899) August 5, 2018

In other parts of the country, heavy rainfall and severe storms have left crops oversaturated, blown down and shredded due to hail.

Miserable night to finish off and miserable year in Northeast Missouri... pic.twitter.com/siepSmrOQp
— Clete Miller (@clete_miller) August 7, 2018

Unfortunately have now experienced hail at every #corn & #soybean growth stage. Eastern York & good portion of Seward County-Hard dough/early dent and R6 beans. @UNL_CropWatch @HailKnowUNL https://t.co/j7OX78OwZe pic.twitter.com/TuEDLZ3FS5
— Jennifer Rees (@jenreesources) August 7, 2018

Well it was pretty corn. #hail. pic.twitter.com/ZfydUMoiLq
— GGF (@GoldenGrainFarm) July 30, 2018

Other areas have received too much rain, causing fields to flood and less than ideal drying conditions.

Wife just sent this from brother in laws, on south side of Sharon Springs. pic.twitter.com/OUFi2UYT4J
— Matt Jaeger (@mjaeger6) July 27, 2018

Despite the harsh conditions Mother Nature has thrown at farmers this year, many remain hopeful that recent rainfall could help turn bleak harvest conditions around.

Well after over 2” of rain, most of which came last week, this @Indigoag corn has made a surprising turn around. Too soon to tell if it’ll actually fill an ear but it’s giving it a shot. pic.twitter.com/Egr5scFyiF
— Sean Harkness (@harkness_sean) August 8, 2018

#SECOsoybeans looking good after last weeks rains. pic.twitter.com/gTBAeoVANS
— Sean Harkness (@harkness_sean) August 8, 2018

This is the reason to be planting beans at the same time as corn. Same bean planted 2.5 weeks apart on same soil across road from each other. I would say early beans make a difference. pic.twitter.com/ljiSrHO7VJ
— Beard Implement AFS (@Beard_AFS) August 8, 2018