How will Ohio corn fare as conditions continue to dry out?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Ohio corn harvest is going much better than average, with two-thirds of the crop in good/excellent condition. However, farmers are concerned about the dry weather.

Progress and condition of corn

The percentage of corn at silk stage in the Buckeye State has increased significantly since the last Crop Progress report and is also well above historical averages. As of July 28, 81 percent of the state’s corn crop had reached silk stage, an increase of 21 percentage points from the previous week. At this time last year, only 54 percent of the state’s corn was at silk stage. Furthermore, the five-year average is only 60 percent.

A quarter of Ohio’s corn had reached dough stage as of July 28. With 25 percent of the corn crop at dough stage, that’s a 12 percentage point jump from the week before. At this time last year, only 2 percent of the state’s corn had reached dough stage, and Ohio’s five-year average is just 9 percent.

In terms of corn condition, two-thirds of Ohio’s corn crop was in good condition or better, with only 5% rated very poor or poor as of the week ending July 28. The specific distribution of corn conditions was 1% very poor, 4% poor, 29% fair, 55% good, and 11% excellent.

Dry weather starts to worry farmers

Despite the strong numbers for corn progress and condition, weather conditions in Ohio are causing some concern. State Statistician Ben Torrance of the USDA NASS Ohio Field Office said dry conditions are starting to worry farmers, according to the Ohio Crop Weather report released July 29.

The most recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that more than 72% of the state was abnormally dry or worse as of July 30. Further, nearly 40% of the state was in at least moderate drought, and nearly 14% of the state was in severe drought.

A Pickaway County Farmer’s Perspective During a Severe Drought

Pickaway County is one of the areas experiencing the worst drought conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 99% of the county was in a severe drought as of the week ending July 30, and has been since the week ending July 16. Additionally, the entire county has been in at least moderate drought conditions since the week ending July 2.

Brenna Gibson, who farms with her husband HL in Pickaway County, said they are definitely not expecting the bumper crop they did last year. “This year is extremely dry. Last year was a great crop.”

The area where Gibson’s farm is located is a particularly dry area to begin with, she said. Even crops just north or south of it are greener than their own. “As (us) farmers, it’s almost a gamble because we don’t have that timely rainfall that some areas do,” Gibson said.

In their 40 years of farming together, this isn’t the first time the Gibsons have faced more challenging-than-normal growing seasons. “We’ve been through this before, and we’ve weathered the storm before … we’ll get through it,” she said. Ultimately, Gibson’s attitude is to “always hope for the best,” and she expressed a hopeful reliance on God to provide, saying, “He always does, even in the times of lack.”