News

Eastern Corn Belt conditions mixed

An agronomist in the Eastern Corn Belt says conditions are highly variable.

Jason Roth with WinField United tells Brownfield during June and July, parts of Michigan didn’t receive much, if any rain.  “Beet leaves are dropping on the ground, corn tasseled that’s three feet tall, it’s down right ugly in the Thumb.”  He says mid-Michigan on the other hand has had timely rains and crops there are faring well.

Roth says his coverage area in Indiana was delayed planting soybeans because of wet conditions, but hot weather around Memorial Day was beneficial for emergence.   “I’m not seeing a lot of Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans this year—probably because of the nice warm environment we had as stuff got planted and just shot right out of the ground.”  In corn, he says growers might find the crop isn’t as good as it looks from the edge of the field and recommends checking for lodging issues.

Roth expects harvest to start a little earlier than normal in the Eastern Corn Belt with growing degree units running about 200 ahead for this time of year.

AUDIO: Interview with Jason Roth