The season of extremes continues. About 7 to 10 days ago, we experienced temperatures about 20° cooler than the normal as a Polar Vortex that moved into the Midwest. Earlier this week we experienced heat indices of more than 100 degrees. While corn can handle high daytime temperatures quite well, as long as moisture is adequate, high nighttime temps can have adverse effects. About six consecutive nights with temperatures in the 70s and 80s can lead to dark respiration, lower dry matter and result in lower yields.
Thankfully, the 5-day forecast for North Central Iowa calls for daytime highs near 85° and nighttime lows around 58° to 60°. That’s perfect crop growing weather! There’s even a chance of rain on Friday, which would be welcome since we haven’t received significant rainfall in about 10 days. To see how crops are faring across our six-state marketing territory, visit “From the Field” on TheFieldPosition.com and click on the drop-down menu.