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Record rainfall raises concerns about stalk rot, lodging, and yield loss in Indiana

Keystone Cooperative’s senior technical agronomist says this year’s record-breaking rainfall could have an impact on the 2026 crop.

Jason Roth says excess moisture throughout the growing season has left some fields more vulnerable to crop stress.  

“The longer they sit underwater, the worse it’s going to be,” he says. “We may have yield that’s there, but if the corn doesn’t stand due to stalk rot, crown rots, things setting in that make that corn vulnerable to go over, we’ll lose the yield that’s there.”

He tells Brownfield some farmers may need to adjust harvest timing based on current crop conditions.

“Pre-harvest scouting for standability is going to be absolutely critical,” he says. “We could be potentially harvesting wet corn to get it out to get it dry before the corn goes down. It could be or beans, or it could be lodging really bad, either one, it’s going to be really important.”

Roth says field-by-field evaluations will be key to identifying which crops are most at risk for losses.

AUDIO: Jason Roth, Keystone Cooperative