A field of corn stands Wednesday along Farlow Road in southern Wayne County. / Joshua Smith / Palladium-Item
By the numbers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 80 percent of Indiana’s corn crop was in good to excellent condition in mid-July, but that has fallen to 66 percent for the week ending Aug. 31. For soybeans, 74 percent was rated good to excellent in mid-July, compared with 62 percent now.
Much of Indiana’s once-thriving corn crop is deteriorating after hot, dry conditions lingered across the state.
The combination of dryness and extreme heat during critical weeks for corn kernel weight development is cutting yield potential, Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen said in a statement.
“Plain and simple, the ‘frosting is off the cake’ for many corn fields around Indiana, as dry and often excessively hot conditions continue through the end of this 2013 grain-filling period,” Nielsen said. “In fact, for some fields, the ‘cake’ is disappearing, too.”
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