It is the end of the growing season for corn and soybeans when agronomists, marketing specialists, and traders look at the condition of the crop and convert that into potential yield.

It is also a time when unusually moist conditions have blanketed a large part of the Cornbelt, some of which may help the later planted crops, but most of it too late to impact yield. As the season shifts toward harvest, let’s make a quick tour of the Cornbelt to get an idea of crop progress and condition with the help of USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.

Throughout the season the eastern part of the Cornbelt has had abundant moisture, but unfortunately, also suffered from delayed planting, washed out crops, and excess water in many areas.

In Ohio, the past week has been dry and soils have dried out to the point more than half is short of moisture. The corn crop is slightly ahead of last year and the 5 year maturity average. 68% is in good to excellent condition. The soybean crop is starting to mature as well with 4% of field dropping leaves and 61% rated in good to excellent condition. There are some fungal problems related to the wet summer weather. 82% of pastures are fair to good.

In Indiana, 74% of topsoils and 76% of subsoils have adequate moisture. The corn crop is a couple days behind the average with 57% in the dent stage. 73% is in good to excellent condition. 78% of the soybean crop is in good to excellent condition with 2% shedding leaves, which is a couple days behind schedule. However, sudden death syndrome is showing up “in modest amounts” across the state. 81% of pastures are in fair to good condition.

Moving west into Illinois, the corn crop is 74% dented, which is ahead of schedule, but only 4% of the soybeans are turning yellow, which is behind schedule, indicating the planting hiatus between crop due to wetness. Currently, 70% of the soil has adequate moisture, but USDA reports, “Crops are beginning to mature statewide, but producers in the west and southwest districts are looking for rain to aid in filling pods. Soybean fields in a few areas are showing stress due to lack of precipitation.” Crop conditions were not included in the Tuesday report.

In Michigan, the corn crop is approaching dent stage, with most fields reported in good to excellent condition. Silage is being put up, and soybean leaves are beginning to turn, but are several days behind last year’s schedule. 46% of the topsoil has adequate moisture, but 37% is short and 14% very short.

Wisconsin soils are reported 65% with adequate moisture, thanks to recent storms, which also brought hail damage. 79% of the corn is in the dough stage, well ahead of last year and 5-year averages. 57% is in good to excellent condition. 8% of the soybeans leaves are turning and 66% of the crop is in good to excellent condition. 76% of the pastures are in fair to good condition.

And in Minnesota the dry conditions of the western Cornbelt and Plains are becoming prevalent. 52% of the topsoil has adequate moisture, but 31% is short and 16% very short. Both the corn silage cutting and soybean maturity are ahead of schedule, due to the moisture shortage. 20% of the beans are turning yellow. Pasture conditions are nearly equally disbursed among good, fair, poor, and very poor. Other Minnesota crops are showing the impact of dry weather as well. The spring wheat harvest is concluding, well ahead of normal.

In the western Cornbelt, Iowa soils are reported 79% with adequate moisture, but only 57% of the subsoil has adequate moisture and 31% is in a short condition. Weather conditions have allowed corn and beans to mature rapidly. 63% of the corn was in the dent stage, 18 points ahead of the 5-year average. 65% is in good to excellent condition. 69% of the beans are in good to excellent condition, with some dropping leaves, about on schedule. 73% of pastures are fair to good, helped by recent rains.

In Missouri, 45% of the topsoil is short or very short of moisture, even with a soaking rain that helped younger soybeans and pastures. 65% of pastures are reported poor to very poor. Rain is still needed to boost subsoil moisture levels and fill creeks and ponds. Corn harvest is well underway due to rapid dry-down, with variable yields from drought damage. Information was unavailable on corn and soybean conditions, other than isolated problems with sudden death syndrome in beans.

In the Great Plains, soil moisture problems are prevalent. Kansas reports 57% adequate topsoil moisture, but 69% of the subsoil is short or very short of moisture. Cooler temperatures have eased drought stress as much as recent rains. 11% of the corn has been harvested, well ahead of any average. Hay and forage supplies are 53% short to very short, with 46% adequate. Water for livestock was reported 54% adequate, but 45% short to very short.

Nebraska topsoil is 56% short to very short and the subsoil is 75% short to very short. Cooler temperatures have helped crop conditions, but the crops are advanced to the point that irrigators have been shut down. Crop conditions are generally mediocre, with pastures rated 66% poor to very poor.

South Dakota is not much different, with 56% of topsoil short or very short of moisture, 75% of subsoil short or very short of moisture. 62% of livestock water in a short or very short supply, and 57% of livestock feed either in short or very short supply. 38% of corn silage and 41% of sorghum silage have been harvested. 64% of range and pasture land is poor to very poor.

In North Dakota topsoils are 58% short to very short of moisture, and subsoils significantly drier. 58% of livestock water supplies were short to very short. Small grain harvest is nearing completion, and 25% of the corn has been chopped for silage. 45% of the soybeans are turning yellow, well above seasonal averages. Numerous other crops are all rated primarily in fair condition.

Summary:

On the whole, the Cornbelt has had average moisture this year, but you would be hard pressed to identify which small pockets of the Upper Midwest to call average. This has been a season of extreme dryness for the western Cornbelt and Great Plains, with excess rainfall for many parts of the eastern Cornbelt. From southwestern Missouri to the Dakotas, drought stress has caused crops to mature earlier than normal. While early harvest in those areas is not a hardship, the most difficult issues to face are dormant pastures that have forced cattle into feedlots earlier than desired, and a significant shortage of subsoil moisture that is not easily cured.

Stu Ellis