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More warm and sunshine needed to mature SD corn

USDA says only 3% of South Dakota’s corn is mature as September begins and an agronomist in the Dakotas and Minnesota says more heat units are needed to help the later-planted corn reach maturity.

“We need anywhere from 250 to 300 more heat units to reach black layer.”

Rick Swenson with Peterson Farms Seed says there’s a lot of corn denting and the two-week weather forecast looks good.

“It’s 84 degrees here and with the forecast, I’m feeling a lot better now than I did 10 days ago.”

Swenson says it seems like the crop is further behind in its progress than reality and the corn is variable.

“If you get into the areas that were wet, there’s going to be some drowned out. And some of it was replanted once and maybe again. In the low areas of fields that were drowned out, there’s more there. It might be 20% of a field or more in some cases.”

Swenson says he’s optimistic much of the region can avoid a frost or freeze through most of September.

USDA says 4% of South Dakota’s soybeans are dropping leaves and 4% of the sorghum crop is mature, both behind the 5-year average. Most of South Dakota’s spring wheat has been harvested, at 93% complete.