Timely Rain Helps Corn And Beans
Trent Brandenburg is happy to have received more than an inch of rain on his dry fields in mid-July. After scouting his crops to determine drought damage, he concluded that the corn pollination hadn’t gotten far enough along to be seriously damaged.
Corn is tasseling, and although it may not be as tall as in some recent years, both corn and beans now look good, he said.
The latest edition of the Illinois Drought Monitor Map issued on July 14, 2022, shows most of Piatt, Douglas, and Champaign Counties in “Severe Drought.” With some rain predicted for the next few days and Saturday night/Sunday, Trent feels safe from too much yield loss due to the recent dry spell. Like the experienced farmer he is, Trent cautions, “There may be hidden damage we can’t see, but right now it looks good.”
More from The Field Report
In a Drought, but Corn is Too Wet to Harvest
The current Illinois drought map (11 September) shows severe drought in the northern 40% of Piatt County and moderate drought in the rest of Piatt and adjacent areas of neighboring counties. Trent Brandenburg has barely started harvesting because his corn [...]
Summertime Mowing And Spraying
Trent Brandenburg has been busy mowing his lawn and his roadsides due to the sunshine and frequent rains making his grass grow as well as his corn and soybeans. He has been hiring aerial spraying of fungicides to suppress disease [...]
Everything Looks Pretty Good, Says Trent
Trent Brandenburg has finished planting except for a few ponds. He is pleased with the germination so far. It is still too wet for side-dressing, but at least the Drought Monitor shows no dryness in Trent's farming area of Central [...]