Crop Watcher July 16 - Dog Days

Todd Easton Coles County July 16 2010: The exceptionally rainy growing season continues here in Coles County as periodic rain showers this week have brought well 2 to 3 inches of precipitation. These rain events have been separated by very hot and muggy conditions that seem to be speeding development right along. With remaining field work narrowed down to mainly just scouting many producers are finally finding time to catch up on other tasks such as mowing and grain hauling. Earlier corn fields are just entering the blister stage and looking like pollination went pretty well. Not many firm guesses ventured on this corn crops potential yet the main obstacle to record yields will be the excessive moisture not only causing numerous drowned out spots but also limited root growth that may cause nutrient uptake issues. Soybean fields are or will be beginning pod development in the next week and seem to be enjoying the moisture with the exception of the drowned out ponds which at this point will not do very well once again this year. Also judging from the size difference between the two planting windows the earlier May planted beans may have a noticeable yield advantage over the ones that couldn’t be planted until later in the month due to wet weather. Don’t forget to take it slow, keep cool, and watch out for pets and young ones outdoors during these hottest days of summer.