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Cool July wx a concern for corn growers

Cool July weather through much of the Corn Belt means added concerns for farmers with late-planted corn. Generally good for early-planted corn, cool summer weather can slow down development and push late planted corn into the window for autumn frost.University of Missouri Extension crop specialist Bill Wiebold says the wet spring forced a lot of farmers to plant late. With corn plant maturity dependent on accumulated exposure to heat – unlike the soybean plant – Wiebold says cooler than normal July days mean slower corn growth. Weibold says some late planted corn hasn’t even pollinated yet – neither setting tassels or having silked – and those crops are at greatest risk for frost. “Development of corn is very much controlled by temperature,” says Wiebold.

He tells Brownfield that a hot August could counteract the cool July. Wiebold says late planted corn is a concern all across the Corn Belt, but growers further north, such as Wisconsin, might have the greater concerns.

Weibold says he’s been hearing concerns from growers for several months now, “The things that I hear about most are probably related to that wet weather during the spring, during planting. So, we have poor root systems, we’ve had quite a bit of nitrogen loss.” On the plus side, he says the cooler temperatures have limited fungal diseases in crops this year.

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri