From the Fields: Corn emergence issues

It has been almost a month since we finished planting corn and soybeans, and now we are praying for a measurable rainfall and sunny days to stimulate growth.

Warmer temperatures throughout the day would be welcomed as we enter the first week of June. I believe the herbicides that were applied to the row crops to help suppress and kill weed pressures would have responded better if the temperatures were a bit warmer.

It has been extremely windy, this making it very challenging at times to spray crops. On May 19, I had just finished spraying my soybeans when I heard the rear tractor tire whistling a tune from a break in the sidewall of the tire.

Cold soils and chilly air temperatures have challenged corn plants from emergence and continue to reduce the ability to use the phosphorus, which has stunted the growth of the corn crop and left the leaves with a yellowish-purple coloration.