Wind
Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa all the way east to Illinois and Indiana. The derecho brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, flattening cornfields, but it also drenched soils with crucial rains.
Winds topping 55 mph, along with dry soils, recently planted fields and the direction of the fierce winds, all created the “perfect storm” to cause the major dust storm that turned fatal Monday in Illinois.
State police said the pileups were caused by “excessive winds blowing dirt from farm fields across the highway, resulting in zero visibility.”
To put cover crop investments in motion, NRCS would draw on federal, state and private conservationists to hire “thousands” of employees for rural America.
Farm Bureau finds 2022 weather events added up to 18 weather and climate disasters, each with damages exceeding $1 billion.
Some Iowa growers saw huge yield losses this season from a so-called edge effect. Illinois farmers also report seeing it ding yields. Agronomists are working to confirm contributing factors but haven’t nailed them down.
A dust storm rippled through the Midwest late last week, followed by rain in some parts and continued heat in others. This weather event highlights soil safeguarding needs, according to Conservation Agronomist Roberts.
Farmers and ranchers have had to endure high winds for months. The powerful gusts haven’t just been annoying; it’s caused disasters across the U.S. High winds have been the culprit of wildfires and more.
Check the stalk quality of D and L-1 hybrids. One has been hit by late-season disease, while high winds have taken a toll on the other.
Some parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska saw precipitation this past week, but dry weather prevails in many areas.