Feeling a little bit damp and cool? Is there a chill running through your bones? Young corn plants trying to grow in many parts of the Corn Belt feel the same way right now.
Delving more deeply into why the first crop condition report issued by USDA shows only 74 percent of the crop in good or excellent condition, one finds corn plants and the people who live near them share a distaste for some of this spring’s cooler, wetter conditions.
Farmers worked tirelessly across the country to plant their crops in the small windows available. From sinking one’s planter deep into the mud to watching as precious seeds wash away, planting in the rain just doesn’t work. Planting into soil too cool to foster germination doesn’t do the trick either. So, men and women across the Great Plains put in long hours to get the crop in the ground as the clock started ticking down.
But, like every year, they now wonder if it will be enough.
In farmer speak, what they need now are days that supply “heat units.” Translation – they need days where the sun and winds provide the light and climate that fosters their seedlings as they mature. They need those lovely late spring afternoons, along with proper nutrients, as much as their counterparts in the city.
Now, going directly into a scorching hot, dry summer wouldn’t make many people happy. If the rains do not come and the temperatures soar, corn plants will not thrive either. People and corn alike need a delicate balance to truly thrive.
Whether the steady rains have trapped you in the house with kids freshly out of school and itching to play or trapped in the shed watching young corn plants desperate for a little sun too, the same rains dampen our outlook. Let’s hope for a little sunshine together.