The month of August is a critical time across the Corn Belt. It can be make or break for kernel fill and overall yield.
To understand the month's impacts on the corn crop, we asked agronomists in some of the top corn-growing states to describe August in a single word, reflecting the crop's progress, condition, and challenges in their regions. Here's what they had to say.
Disease
Wyffels agronomist Eric Wilson summed up August in Iowa with the word "disease." Wilson supports southern and northeast Iowa. In mid-August, he said southern rust and heat were the biggest threats to yield.
"Growers are concerned with how quickly their crop is turning [as we] approach harvest," Wilson shared Tuesday. "Excessive heat and disease this summer has pushed this crop quickly, and it looks like much of the corn will be ready to harvest before beans will be ready."
The latest Crop Progress report said 9% of Iowa's corn had reached maturity by Aug. 31, up from 3% the week prior. The crop was rated 1% very poor, 2% poor, 13% fair, 58% good, and 26% excellent.
Nick Groth, a Syngenta agronomist supporting Wisconsin, used the same word to describe August in his state. "Disease was the big factor in August," he said.
Groth said southern rust was "prolific" across Wisconsin, with the southern part of the state facing the worst pressure. "The southern rust came in earlier and was much more aggressive than what Wisconsin has seen in the past," he shared.
Groth said other diseases - northern corn leaf blight and tar spot - were common throughout the state as well.
"All of these late-season diseases were a big topic of conversation across Wisconsin, as growers hoped to have set their crops up to fend off these diseases and maintain the impressive yield potential they had going into the month," Groth said.
The latest Crop Progress report said 4% of Wisconsin's corn had reached maturity by the last day of August, up from 1% the week prior. The crop was rated 1% very poor, 4% poor, 12% fair, 57% good, and 26% excellent.
