Corn conditions in this state improved for the first time since early June

Corn conditions in North Carolina are still the worst of any top-producing state by far. The state had the greatest percentages of Very Poor and Poor corn, as well as the lowest percentages of Good and Excellent corn the week ending July 21.

However, its combined percentage of Very Poor/Poor corn decreased for the first time since early June, indicating an overall improvement of corn condition.

According to the most recent Crop Progress report, for the week ending July 21, the USDA rated North Carolina’s corn as follows: 31% Very Poor, 35% Poor, 19% Fair, 14% Good, and 1% Excellent. That compares with ratings from the week prior: 44% Very Poor, 29% Poor, 18% Fair, 9% Good, and 0% Excellent.

Recent more favorable weather has played a role in the improvement, according to Kathie Dello, North Carolina’s state climatologist and the director of the North Carolina State Climate Office. “We’ve been lucky to return to a cooler, more showery weather pattern for the second half of July — bringing some much needed relief to our producers,” Dello says.

Other crops also improve

Other North Carolina crops also showed some improvement.

Soybeans: For the week ending July 21, the USDA rated North Carolina soybeans as follows: 5% Very Poor, 16% Poor, 34% Fair, 40% Good, and 5% Excellent. That’s much improved compared with the week ending July 14. At that point, soybeans were rated 7% Very Poor, 24% Poor, 43% Fair, 26% Good, and 0% Excellent. 

Peanuts: For the week ending July 21, the USDA rated North Carolina peanuts as follows: 3% Very Poor, 4% Poor, 32% Fair, 54% Good, and 7% Excellent. The week prior, ending July 14, a combined total of 12% of the peanut crop were rated Very Poor/Poor. Only 46% were rated Good, and and 4% were rated Excellent. 

Pasture and range: For the week ending July 21, the USDA rated pasture and range for the state as follows: 6% Very Poor, 18% Poor, 59% Fair, 16% Good, and 1% Excellent. Those conditions are far better than the week ending July 14. At that point they were rated 12% Very Poor, 43% Poor, 32% Fair, 13% Good, and 0% Excellent.

Farmers weigh in on crop condition and recovery

Thomas Shaw raises flue-cured tobacco, corn, soybeans, and wheat in north-central Vance County, by the Virginia border. Shaw explained why he described his corn as “severely damaged.”

“In June, we had extreme drought and temperatures here and that really damaged our corn.” Shaw said. He added that although a rainy July helped some of the corn recover, the overall condition remains “very poor,” and he says he doesn’t have high hopes for much of a yield. 

The weather also has adversely affected Shaw’s soybeans, especially his double crop behind wheat. Hot, dry weather was an issue even before June: In April it delayed planting. “The first planted beans are starting to bloom, but they don’t have much size [at] all to them,” Shaw says. He added that the soybean canopies are not forming, as they should be. Like corn, he does not expect much yield.

While June was hot and dry, July has seen excessive rain. “We went from one extreme to the other,” he said. It’s now affecting the ability to spray for weeds.

Shaw says he’s hopeful some of his soybeans can recover. However, he knows sufficient rain and suitable temperatures were lacking during a critical window for corn. “Corn, you know,” he says, “that doesn’t come back.”

David Hight raises tobacco, peppers, corn, soybeans, and wheat in Warren County, northeast of Raleigh by the Virginia state line. He described his corn to be “in terrible shape.” The poor weather’s timing exacerbated the effect.

“The hottest and driest point of the year was during pollination, and a lot of our corn didn’t pollinate,” he says. He explains that his crops got very little rain from May 20 until July 4. In one location he measured during that period, the total precipitation was 0.60 inches. With that and temperatures of 90°F to 100°F almost every day, the weather absolutely took a toll, he says, especially on corn.

Like Shaw, Hight says dry weather through April negatively affected planting, and additional dryness since then even forced some replanting. “These beans [have] a long way to go,” he says. 

Also like Shaw, Hight says his crops have received some much needed rain in July — but almost too much. “We’ve been getting good rain, actually to the point we really need it to slow down a little bit,” he says. But, “We really can’t get work done because of it.”

Hight says this year’s conditions remind him of 2010, except that year provided no respite by rain, as this July has. He went on to say that last month ranks as one of the driest Junes he’s seen in his lifetime.

‘It’s years like this that you’ll be glad you have crop insurance’

Melissa Simmons is a crop insurance specialist for the North Carolina Farm Bureau and works with producers in the northern part of the state. She’s been selling crop insurance since 2015 and says producers are being very proactive when it comes to insurance claims.

“We definitely are filing claims much sooner than we normally would because of the drought,” she says, spurred by the corn’s small cob size along with the crop’s declining price. Early planted corn has been affected the most, she says. The affected corn was at the tasseling stage when the drought occurred.

Simmons says a coworker who covers the southern part of North Carolina has filed claims on behalf of nearly all his corn producers. “It's good to go ahead and file those claims early because we don’t know what the future holds," she says. “We don’t know how much it will recover.”

Her hope is that taking these proactive steps can help farmers sleep better at night during these difficult “It is years like this that you’ll be glad that you have [crop insurance],” she says.