(Spencer)– The unseasonably warm weather we’re experiencing for mid September is just what the doctor ordered for late planted crops. Paul Kassel, a Crops Specialist with Iowa State University Extension in Spencer tells KUOO news it’s allowing them to catch up considerably in development…
“You know we’ve been talking about frost, early frost, since June, I think, ever since that late planted corn was planted and really about the opposite happened, and about the opposite is happening, I should say. You know we were concerned there late August, cool weather, but boy that sure changed. I think they’re talking some warm weather for the entire upper midwest for this coming week, so that later planted crop is coming along. It really looks good. Obviously it was planted a month late, that kind of thing, but a lot of that is well dented and this week here will push us into a timeframe where if we do have an early frost say like next week, a killing frost wouldn’t be ideal but it wouldn’t be the end of the world either, because we’ve had some good weather to push it along.”
Kassel says early planted corn is already safe from a killing frost…
“Actually we’re seeing that’s starting to black layer which means it’s mature which means it’s not going to add any more yield which also means it’s safe from frost. A lot of that corn planted April, first week of May, even second week of May is either mature or very close to mature, and I’m sure it will be after this week so that’s good news, too because once it’s mature it can take advantage of the warm, particularly warmer September weather and begin the dry down process and help save the farmers on drying costs.”
Kassel says development of the soybean crop is also coming along nicely…
“We’re seeing the soybeans upper pods completely filled out and some of those fields getting that kind of that light green color which means they’re maybe a week or so from being totally mature but again the recent rain, the current warm weather will really help that crop mature, fill out and who knows what it’s doing to yield, but I think we have to think that that’s doing nothing but good things for the final yield there, so again yeah, I think this warm weather is just what we needed.”
Kassel adds pests also aren’t posing much of a threat either right now.
