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South Dakota farmer: corn survived heat, rain now critical for yields

A farmer in eastern South Dakota says last week’s heat dome didn’t have much impact on the corn at his farm, which is tasseling.

Travis Renkly farms in Brookings County, and he says the rains ahead of Independence Day were enough to help the crops get through the hot week. However, more rain is needed.

“You can start to see it on some of the hilltops and even some of the bean fields,” he says. “You can just start to see some leaves rolling.”

Renkly says brief rain showers have settled the dust, but there’s no more rain in the forecast. He’s optimistic about the cooler temperatures this week for corn and soybeans.

“A few big rains over the next month can make a big difference. Or if we don’t get them, the crop can go the other way. It’s hard to tell, but hey both could use rain at this point.”

Laura Edwards, the state climatologist with SDSU Extension, tells Brownfield Brookings County, and the northeast part of the state has some great looking crops, but other parts of the state are struggling with drought, including southwest of Aberdeen and in southeast South Dakota.

USDA’s latest crop condition ratings reflect the dryness with a decline in conditions. South Dakota’s corn condition currently rated 56 percent good to excellent, a decline of eight percentage points from the previous week. South Dakota’s soybean conditions also had a decline, now rated 56 percent good to excellent.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Travis Renkly.