According to the USDA, only 28 percent of Michigan’s corn and 23 percent of the state’s soybeans are rated in good-to-excellent condition.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map for Michigan as of June 22 also says that 84 percent of the state is “abnormally dry”, 49 percent of Michigan is under a “moderate drought”, and eight counties between Grand Rapids and Lansing are experiencing a “severe drought.”
“You don’t find any mud puddles anywhere, I can tell you that,” says Ben Hoyt, a Specialty Hybrids dealer based out of Calhoun County.
He says rainfall amounts varied across the state on Sunday and earlier this week, but it’s not enough to make up for the lack of moisture over the past two months.
“We got a little over an inch of rain here in Calhoun County. Some guys in Kalamazoo got four-tenths of an inch, and then down the southeastern part of Michigan, they got an inch,” according to Hoyt.
As if it wasn’t bad enough, Hoyt says some parts of Michigan received hail damage on Sunday.
“Over the southeast corner of the state, they got dime-sized hail and they took a lot of leaf damage.”
He says the haze from the Canadian wildfires has somewhat been a blessing because it’s kept the heat and direct sunlight from drying out the crops even further.
“Cooler is better when you’re drier—and drier is better when your corn is small,” says Hoyt. “We’ve been so dry, with the rain we received on Sunday—Tuesday was a blessing because instead of being so hot and the moisture evaporating, it gave the rain a chance to work into the soil a little bit better than it would have if it would have been 90 degrees again.”
Hoyt adds that even though corn and soybean crops may not be in the best condition right now, it’s important to continue scouting should the rains pick back up in July and August.
Click below to hear C.J. Miller’s radio news report for Michigan Ag Today.
