Little Relief, Likely No Recovery for Corn
Condition of the nation’s corn crop continues to deteriorate, and the situation is likely to worsen as the critical pollination period progresses.
"Dry conditions are expected throughout the Corn Belt for the next 7 to 10 days," says Allan Curtis, climatologist with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center. "In the short term, there doesn’t look to be a whole lot of relief. Dry conditions are expected to persist or worsen."
While some areas of the Corn Belt have received moisture, rains have been spotty except for in the eastern Corn Belt in a line from northeastern Illinois through Ohio, where a high-wind event accompanied by widespread rains occurred last week.
"There were 500 reports of 50, 60, even 70 mph winds or greater and hail, which is no good for any crop," says Curtis.
According to USDA’s latest Crop Progress report, released July 2, only 48% of the nation’s corn is rated in good to excellent condition. Seven days earlier, 56% of the nation’s corn was rated in good to excellent condition and last year 69% of the corn was in similar shape.
Of the top-three corn-producing states, Indiana reports the worst corn condition with only 19% of its corn rated as good to excellent. Illinois corn is also in rough shape, with only 26% rated good to excellent. In Iowa, 62% of the corn is in similar shape, but even there, concerns over extremely dry conditions persist as pollinations begins.
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