PRINCETON, Ind. — In southwestern Indiana, things could not be more different from last month, when rivers had  overflowed their banks. Farmers were shortly contemplating replanting their corn or soybeans, and most had to replant at least a portion of their fields.

 

Now, those replanted corn acres are rolling their leaves from lack of water, and excess heat, and newly planted soybeans have stalled in their growth, said Hans Schmitz, Gibson County director for Purdue University extension.

“We did not get rain this week. It was under a half-inch. We haven’t had a significant rain since May 24, when we got an inch. Between then and this rain we got a total of a tenth of an inch,” he said.

On the plus side, the dry spell came at just the right time for the wheat harvest in southwestern Indiana, he added. Early- planted corn and soybeans – prior to the flooding – have a more mature root system and so are faring better than the young plants.

“You can tell a difference in the areas replanted. The early corn, you don’t see the effects as much. The replanted corn is not looking well.”

Schmitz said Sullivan County and further south need a “synoptic scale event,” in which a large low-pressure system comes out of the west or the tropics.

“I’m not that optimistic about the shortterm chance for rain. There’s not enough moisture here to create a pop-up thunder shower. We will have to rely upon moisture from elsewhere,” he explained.

Meanwhile, many parts of the state experienced rain showers late in the week that were the envy of southwestern Indiana. Much of Indiana received up to 2.5 inches of precipitation, some of which was accompanied by hail and strong wind. However, southwestern areas missed the rain almost entirely.

“One month ago we were wishing the rain would stop. But we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Bob Nielsen, Hoosier corn specialist with extension.

Prior to recent rains, at least two weeks of dry and above-normal temperatures statewide caused the soils in many fields and pastures to dry out. As of June 13, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported 32 percent of the state was in stage one of drought (D0), “abnormally dry,” in a large portion of west-central to southwestern Indiana and along the northwestern border.

As of that same date, central Nebraska going eastward to western Ohio had received little to no rain during the prior 14 days.

The following areas had received less than 50 percent of normal precipitation for the previous 30 days: northern and southwestern Missouri, most of Illinois, northwestern and southwestern Indiana, southwestern Michigan and southern Ohio.

The result has been a quick drying out of surface soils. After more than six weeks of little to no drought in the Midwest, 26 percent of the region is now in the D0 stage of drought and northern Missouri and northwestern Minnesota are in the next stage (D1). 

 

If they have not received sufficient rain, the root systems of young corn and soybeans may be in jeopardy. Nielsen said he can’t be positive about this year’s crop until the weather improves.

“One of the worries with young corn is that in the first five to six weeks, the corn builds its initial primary root system. With poor moisture, it affects the young

root development,” he said. “There’s a couple strikes against this year’s crop.

We need the weather to shape up before we can be positive about its future. If there’s such a thing as normal, we need 1 inch of rain a week and moderate temperatures.” Those fields with heavier soils will store moisture longer, while sandy soils will dry out.

It’s too early to predict yield potential accurately, Nielsen said. At this point, the crop condition ratings do not correlate well with yield. That said, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported on June 12 that 75 percent of corn was in good or fair condition and 81 percent of soybeans in Indiana were in good or fair shape.

Another yield indicator upon which farmers often rely is the date of planting. But Nielsen said it is not the strongest predictor of yield. For those who replanted or planted late this year, that may be good news.

On a statewide basis, the evidence over the years does not indicate a strong relationship between date of planting and ultimate yield, Nielsen explained. “Planting date is just one of many things that influences yield. Usually most corn crops arein by May 10,” he added. “If the weather  is more favorable, the later-planted cropcan perform better.”

According to NASS, both Indiana corn and soybeans have been planted or replanted, with 86 percent of corn emerged and 90 percent of soybeans emerged.