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
Replanting Done, Corn and Beans Look Good
Trent Brandenburg has replanted his few ponded field "wet spots" as many as three times. The replanted areas are "thin," Trent observed, because "It has been too wet. But at least [replanting] will keep the weeds down." Trent is now [...]
First Round Of Planting Done, Ponds Need Replanting
Trent Brandenburg is done with his "first round" of planting, as he puts it. The corn and soybeans he planted in April are up and growing in excellent condition. Trent's later-planted crops are germinating but not as far along as [...]
Not Much Field Work This Week
Trent Brandenburg does not plan on much fieldwork for this week, starting April 29, 2024. The huge squall line that extended from Texas to Green Bay, Wisconsin, over this past weekend, was far enough west to spare central Illinois from [...]