Indiana’s most recent crop progress and condition report showed just 19 percent of the crop was rated good to excellent and 50 percent of the state’s corn crop rated poor to very poor.
Hans Schmitz, Extension Educator for Gibson County, IN says the Southwestern portion of the state has been hit the hardest. “The sandy ground, that is not irrigated, is not conducive to corn living at this point and is very brown – and dead; where we have higher organic matter soils (the better soils) – the corn is still hanging in there,” he says.
“The tasselling period is just about finished and soon we’ll be able to check to see how much pollination actually occurred.” On the soybean side of things – Schmitz says it’s about 50/50. “Early beans look a lot better than corn at this point – but the double crop beans (after winter wheat) are a total loss.”
Schmitz says farmers in his area are still holding on to a little hope that the drought breaks and they’ll be able to harvest at least something this fall.
AUDIO: Hans Schmitz, Gibson County, IN (3:15mp3)
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