Now that planting season is over for most farmers across Indiana, many are now concerned about the warm, dry forecast for the next week or so. However, it may be a little too soon to be overly concerned about the recent lack of moisture.
“It is one of those things that we can’t really control, which is really a wait-and-see kind of game,” says Cody Colbert, Field Sales Representative with Specialty Hybrids who is based out of Tippecanoe County. He says corn and soybeans across northcentral and northwestern Indiana are in excellent condition despite the recent dry spell.
“Crops are looking good and have emerged well. Stands are looking solid, so we’re good on that front. The only concerning thing is that the hot and dry forecast,” says Colbert.
He points to this same time last year when most of Indiana saw very hot and dry conditions for most of June and early July—yet many farmers still had outstanding yields at harvest time.
“We’re really looking at a positive. We can look at the roots with the crops as they get rooted down and a little bit stronger at this stage,” says Colbert. “We’ve had some hot and dry Junes in the past and turned out to have a great crop in the end, so I don’t think we’re to a stage that’s really concerning quite yet.”
Colbert says the new corn hybrids and soybean varieties that have been developed are more resilient to heat and drought stress—especially early in the growing season.
“We’ve come a long way with hybrids and varieties out there that have been bred to handle stress like this, so we’re at a good position,” according to Colbert. “I think still some of the main fields that were planted late into some of the dryer soils—we probably need to keep an eye on those and check and see how the emergence comes along with those crops.”
Click below to hear C.J. Miller’s radio news report for Hoosier Ag Today.
The update is sponsored by Specialty Hybrids. At Specialty Hybrids, it’s your field, our Specialty. Find your local field sales representative and dealer online at www.specialtyhybrids.com.
