(Spencer)– Area farmers are scouting their newly emerged fields of corn for signs of frost damage.
It follows a several-hour stretch of below freezing temperatures early Sunday across a large part of northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.
In some cases temperatures got as low as 27 degrees…and stayed there for a while. Paul Kassel, an Agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension Service, says that was enough to cause some damage. Even though the growing point of corn is still below ground, Kassel says the frost will likely result in some stand reductions.
He’s urging producers to hold off on applying herbicide to corn until the weather warms up. Kassel says crops are already under stress due to the recent frost and the ongoing cold wet weather.
