Duane Ohnemus, a farmer near Milo, said it’s the combination of conditions that stresses crops.
“If you have enough moisture, it doesn’t bother the crops that much.
Our pastures are probably the worst crop we have because they’re just not growing.
They need water pretty badly.” Ohnemus rotates his cattle among the pastures of his century farm to give the grass time to grow and green up.
He described the quality of his recent second cutting as “very low.” Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension, said the corn and beans are tolerating the weather somewhat, but the weeks ahead will prove critical.
The corn has pollinated without issue, but a break from the heat and drought will be necessary for ears to develop fully.
“Considering how dry we are, they’re doing pretty good, but we could use some rain,” Vittetoe said.
Water hemp “tends to thrive no matter what,” according to Vittetoe, and is becoming resistant to herbicides.
It’s important to keep the seed down for future years.” When water hemp is out of control, the impact at harvest isn’t just yield.
“The soybeans will mature and dry down before water hemp will.