Figure 1. Surprise thunderstorm on May 2 chased farmers out of the field. Picture taken near the Scribner Air Base.
Corn emergence has been progressing nicely this week with the warmer temperatures. Little or no planting occurred however. A surprise thunderstorm (Figure 1) with hail moved through the area on Saturday, May 2, that chased many growers out of the field earlier than expected. We missed the heavy rains and severe storms on May 6 and 7th. Rainfall totals from May 2 through May 7 ranged from 2.5 to 4 inches across the area bringing rainfall totals to 6 to 8 inches since April 1 (Figure 2).
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- Figure 2. May Rainfall Totals
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- April 2015 rainfall totals
Flooding has only been a minor issue but ponding and waterlogged soils in river bottoms and upland potholes will reduce corn and soybean stands (Figure 3). Read and watch more about how long corn and soybeans can survive saturated and flooded soils on Crop Watch and Market Journal. The biggest concern is the forecast for heavy rain Saturday night into Sunday delaying planting and causing flooding.
Figure 3. Corn seedling surviving in saturated soils after Wednesday nights rain in the Platte River bottom.
