Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
07-24-07
Northeast Iowa crops looking good despite bout with bad weather
By MATTHEW WILDE, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- Most crops damaged by last week's storms appear to be
rebounding and recent rains will go a long way toward a bountiful harvest.
Crop experts say the vast majority of the corn blown over by high winds have
straightened up enough to not hinder pollination. Most hail damaged plants are
growing as well. Initial estimates put storm damaged crops in the thousands of
acres.
Monday's U.S. Department of Agriculture Crops and Weather Report said areas
that received precipitation reported large improvements in crop conditions.
The several inches of rain the region received last week and Monday morning
essentially made the crop, according to Kay Connelly, a Cedar Falls crop
consultant and retired Iowa State University Extension crop specialist.
There's enough moisture for at least two more weeks, getting crops through the
crucial pollination period and kernel and pod development. Given the amount of
soil moisture now, Connelly said the crops only need one more soaking rain by
the middle of August to finish them out.
"Currently things are looking good. We needed some rains and they did some
good," he said.
The true extent of damage won't be known until combines roll in the fall. Connelly
estimates a 5 percent yield reduction. He said ear length is good, corn kernels
are developing well and soybeans continue to set pods.
"We shouldn't expect as good of yields as the last two years, as planting was
spread out much more than normal. But it will still be a good, decent crop,"
Connelly said.
Earlier this month, ISU climatologist and agronomist Elwynn Taylor said
growing conditions favor a 50 percent chance the nation's corn yield will average
152 bushels per acre. The estimate considers the above average initial subsoil
moisture in much of the Corn Belt; a statistical risk of widespread drought, the
shift from El Nino to neutral; and sea surface temperatures in the central and
North Pacific and in the Gulf of Mexico.
Other Taylor predictions include:
--- Exceeding trend (148.4 bushels per acre) is 54 percent.
--- Record high yield (above 163 bushels per acre) is 27 percent.
--- Chance of drought (below 133 bushels per acre) is 23 percent.
Ninety percent of the state's corn is tasseled, 73 percent silked and 21 percent in
the milk stage (kernel development). The crop is rated 2 percent very poor, 8
percent poor, 27 percent fair, 47 percent good and 16 percent excellent.
Insect and weed pressure aren't taking a significant toll on crops yet. Sporadic
fields of soybeans are above economic threshold levels --- 250 aphids per plant
of the yield-robbing pest --- to warrant spraying.
Entomologists confirm early captures of western bean cutworm moths in the
state. Producers should be scouting for egg masses and young larvae. Timing an
insecticide application can be critical. Larvae feed on tassels and silks, but
eventually tunnel through the silk channel to reach developing kernels.
In the past, for hybrids lacking resistance to western bean cutworm, if a field has
8 percent of the plants or more infested, treatment was recommended. However,
given corn prices today, experts have modified their thinking.
"The University of Nebraska threshold was developed during the years when field
corn was worth about $2 per bushel, but with corn in the $3.50-per-bushel range
now, it would make sense to cut the threshold in half," said Marlin Rice, ISU
entomology professor, in a press release from Pioneer International Hi-Bred.
Iowa's soybeans are blooming at a rate of 83 percent, while 42 percent are
setting pods. The crop is rated 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 26 percent
fair, 53 percent good and 15 percent excellent.
Recent rainfall was not enough to rejuvenate overgrazed pastures, the report
said. Some farmers are supplementing dormant pastures with grass or hay.
Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.