News

Dry weather adds more stress to crops

Indiana’s continued dry spell is adding more pressure to already stressed crops.  Corn and soybeans with shallow root systems are susceptible to drought stress and the current stretch of dry weather has farmers concerned about the crop’s ability to finish maturing.

According to the weekly crop and weather report 47 percent of the corn crop is rated good to excellent with 89 percent in the dough stage, 51 percent dented, and 3 percent at black layer.  Forty-seven percent of the state’s soybeans are rated good to excellent with 95 percent setting pods and 3 percent dropping leaves.  The crop is in its final weeks of maturity but the cool an dry weather threatens under-filling of pods in soybeans.

Harvest continues for potato, mint, tomato, and tobacco – with some of the tobacco crop rated in poor condition because of the early season rains.