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Across central Michigan corn and soybean crops are dealing with mostly dry soils, but the crops are handling it better than expected, according to Field Sales Representative Josh Eurich in a new Channel Seed growing season update.
“There are significant differences sometimes within the same section it seems just based on where the rain cloud may have passed over at the beginning of July or even the middle of July,” he said, “but a good portion of my territory is abnormally dry.”
Soybeans are positioned to post some impressive yields if timely rains would come in.
“Yeah absolutely. Again, as dry as we were throughout a good portion of my geography, there is especially for soybeans a good opportunity to finish this crop off. I think there’s a lot of, call it reserve energy left in those plants, and if we do catch some rains, I think we’re going to see those pods fill a bit more and potentially even put pods on above canopy which is what we always like to see.”
The story is a little different for the corn crop, although final results will likely be varied.
“Some fields, some farms are going to have tremendous yields again this year and some are going to be I’m sure disappointed with what they have out there just because of the lack of rain. The crop is progressing pretty rapidly. We’ve accumulated a lot of heat units here in the last 6 weeks which certainly made up for the lack of heat units that we were able to gain in May.”
Because of the dry conditions, Eurich says heavy disease development has been minimal.
“The corn crop specifically looks relatively clean,” he told MAT. “I will say tar spot is starting to move in and I know a lot of planes were flying 40 to 50 days ago, so the efficacy of those fungicides has pretty well run its course. On the soybean side we are seeing a little bit of white mold in areas that is creeping in.”
Hear more in the full MAT and Channel Seed growing season update:
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