RAIN
Thank God for some rain! Across the territory 1-2” of rain last weekend and early this week was a godsend for this young crop. There were some fields of corn I was about ready to recommend tearing up if we didn’t get rain, and now they look like a million bucks. They hadn’t started to leaf out underground, so they were salvageable. The ground is mellow now, where last week I could hardly push a knife in.
Cool Weather Impacts on Corn
The corn does look a little sickly this week, as we have been cool and cloudy. It is yellowish and just needs heat and sunlight for photosynthesis. This bigger corn (V2) will also soon be going through its “ugly duckling” stage where it transitions from the seed roots, to its primary root system. During this time, the corn stalls out and doesn’t grow much above ground, as it is doing a lot underground. Once the primary root system has taken over, the corn will shoot up rather quickly and should get a dark green color to it, if its not lacking nitrogen or sulfur at that point.
Soybean Emergence
The big concern this week had been bean emergence. As I have mentioned the past couple of weeks, some beans were laying in dry soil or residue. This rain was what they needed to swell up and send out roots. They are just starting to push through the surface as we haven’t accumulated a lot of heat units since last Friday. Continue to monitor the fields and see if those thin areas start to fill in.
Next Steps
The first corn plantings are getting close to ready for post spray, and beans that didn’t get a pre are needing their first post applications. I like to start on corn spraying when corn is close to V3. It takes a while to get everything covered, so we have to get started. Next week looks like it will be plenty warm, most every day is forecast for 80-85 degrees, so the crop (and weeds) can start to pop. Side dressing will be starting next week as well.
RainFall Totals
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Month | Total | 30 Year Average | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:12 PM | emilybailey | 05/01/2026 01:20 PM | April (since the 21st) | 0.5" | 4.2" | |
| 2 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:12 PM | emilybailey | 05/22/2026 04:51 PM | May | 1.8" | 4.8" | |
| 3 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:12 PM | emilybailey | 04/03/2026 07:30 AM | June | 6.3" | ||
| 4 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:13 PM | emilybailey | 04/03/2026 07:30 AM | July | 4.7" | ||
| 5 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:13 PM | emilybailey | 04/03/2026 07:30 AM | August | 4.5" | ||
Heat Units Accumulated
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | Plant Date | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | emilybailey | 04/02/2026 02:20 PM | emilybailey | 05/22/2026 05:13 PM | April 21st | 290 |
| 3 | emilybailey | 05/09/2026 07:23 AM | emilybailey | 05/22/2026 04:51 PM | May 1st | 200 |
As always, reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have.
Bob Sobolik
641.330.1815
