Field Updates - UNL CropWatch, June 22, 2012

Field Updates - UNL CropWatch, June 22, 2012

June 22, 2012

Corn tasseling

Corn tasseling near Sprague.  (Photo by Bob Huttes)

Stand of previously hailed corn in Clay County

Corn field in Clay County that's already been hit by four hail storms this season. It's been replanted, but corn that wasn't killed off is now at the 7-leaf stage while the replanted corn is at the 3-leaf stage. Such differences will make for an interesting harvest.  (Photo by Jenny Rees)

Drew Lyon, Extension Dryland Crops Specialist, Panhandle REC:  Most wheat in the state is about finished filling and this heat is just hastening harvest. The exceptions are irrigated wheat and some wheat in the far western and northern Panhandle that is still green and would benefit from precipitation and cooler temperatures. Most wheat growers in the state would probably prefer to keep it hot and dry now through harvest.

Jenny Rees, Extension Educator in Clay County: Drought conditions have affected much of Nebraska. In our area in south central Nebraska, particularly in our southern tier of counties, we’re seeing brown pastures and alfalfa that stopped growing.  I’m unsure how many planting dates we currently have in Clay County. The spring planting season went so well with corn and many beans being planted in April. April-planted soybeans that weren't hailed are forming a nice canopy. Corn that hasn’t received hail should be tasseling by the beginning of July. One Clay County field planted in March was only three leaves from tasseling when I took this picture this week.  The field looks great  and is probably two leaves from tasseling by now!

There are also the hail-damaged fields. The hail pattern has been fairly similar all year for this area of the state with some producers receiving four consecutive hail events on their fields. Some farmers got through the first two hail storms but the Memorial Day weekend storm did them in. I had never seen hail like that at ground zero of this storm. They replanted after that weekend, but were hit by yet another hail storm last week with the wonderful deluge of rain we received in the county.

For more information and photos, see Rees' blog at http://jenreesources.wordpress.com

 

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A field of corn.