News
Drought compromising corn stands in the Dakotas and Minnesota
Drought stress could lead to standability issues in corn this fall.
Peterson Farms Seed agronomist Rick Swenson covers the Dakotas and Minnesota and says they are starting to see top dieback, when leaves die earlier than normal from the top down.
“A couple weeks ago we saw a lot of stuff flaring from the bottom up, and now with this top dieback (stalks are being compromised). There was a wind event that came through, and some of those guys had some stalk lodging that took almost everything out in some cases. So I would be on top of at least figuring out which fields were maybe stressed the most to stay ahead of it.”
Craig Lavoi, a territory manager for Peterson Farms Seed, tells Brownfield farmers in dry areas need to be checking stalk integrity.
“Do that pinch test on the stalks, push. Just see where your fields are at and make a list on what you need to be harvesting first versus last. Because a big wind event, as we saw in central Minnesota this week, can really push some corn down.”
Lavoi says anthracnose in drought-stressed corn is maturing the crop faster than they’d like to see. Swenson expects harvest to start about two weeks ahead of normal.
Rick Swenson interview:
Craig Lavoi interview:
