C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 2024-32

Drought in Ohio has been a major concern for a while now and most indicators suggest drought will expand then persist at least through October-November. The latest drought status of the Drought Monitor can be found here: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OH

This will continue to impact everything in agriculture from crops, speciality crops and water levels. 

Lake levels are now dropping across Ohio and could reach winter pool drawdown levels early on their own. Some lakes now have zero inflow. Many rivers are running very low and some are nearing record low flows. This likely will persist into October.

Back in April we talked about the concern for dryness this summer and fall as in the article we said, " In addition, we expect some dryness to expand as summer progresses and La Niña develops with confidence higher for dryness in June and August/September timeframes at this point."

Our driest months for much of the region were June (first three weeks), August and September.  La Niña has not developed yet but is projected to in the next few months though it looks to be rather weak. What this means is dryness likely lasts through at least the first half of harvest season and possibly much of harvest season with the first hard freeze likely being delayed until the second half of October at least.

For the rest of September, expect above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall to continue. Many places will see little if any rain for the rest of September.

October is forecast to remain warmer and drier than normal, especially the first half,  see attached graphic from NOAA Climate Prediction Center for the first half of October rainfall outlook. With crops drying out fast, this should lead to opportunities for early harvest where crops were able to mature properly.

November still looks warm but not as dry with some rain returning. The bottom line, we liely will have to wait until at least November for any drought relief. 

The latest data says this La Niña will be fairly weak this winter and would likely end by spring quickly. Therefore, this winter we will likely start milder than normal again and finish chilly but any wet signal appears marginal. Depending on how much wetter we get this winter will determine how much the drought improves in Ohio and where we will stand going into next spring.

Episode 25 of Battle for the Belt is now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFxeLxrmfI8

In Episode 25, Dr. Chia Lin, a researcher with the Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Research Laboratory at the Ohio State University, discusses new projects related to monitoring insects in soybean fields.

Dr. Lin’s research revolves around advancing management of agricultural landscapes to improve the health of honey bees and other pollinators.

One of the prime focuses of her research is to investigate the mutual relationship between honey bees and soybean plants. During flowering, soybean plants provide an abundant nectar resource to the honey bees, and pollination by honey bees could potentially improve the yield of soybeans.

 One of the research focuses of the lab has been to identify an effective method that can document bee   activities in the field. They have tested many different methods such as observation, netting, and pin   traps. Currently, they are testing an audio recorder to document bee activities in the soybean fields   during bloom (Figure 1). This technique could also be extended to observe other insects in the soybean   field, which would provide more useful tools for farmers. Hopefully, in the near future, these   technologies will lead to better management strategies for producers.

 If you would like to read more about using the recording technology to track honey bees, please use the   following link https://entomologytoday.org/2024/04/16/honey-bees-soybean-pollination-listen-buzz-   bioacoustic-monitoring/

What’s happening in the battle for the belt fields across Ohio?

Western

At the Western location, both planting date one and two of soybean and corn are finished maturing (R8) and near harvest (Figure 2.). Planting date three in the soybeans are at R7 (beginning maturity) and the third planting date in the corn is at R6 (physiological maturity) for the majority of the relative maturities. Planting date four is at R6 (full seed) in the soybeans but they are dropping their leaves. While planting date four of corn is still at R5 (dent). Planting date five of the soybeans are at R5 (beginning seed) but were close to R6, and the fifth planting date of the corn is R4 (dough).

Northwest

At the Northwest location, all soybeans are at R6 except for planting date five, which is at R5. Planting date one is beginning to change color but is not very far along in drying down. The corn stages are a little more uneven and seem to have slowed down. Planting date one and two are at R5, planting date three is at R4, and planting date four and five are at R3 (milk).

Wooster

For the Wooster location, planting date one soybeans are at R7, planting date two, three, and four are at R6, and planting date five remains at R5. In the corn planting date one, two, and three are at R5, while planting date four and five are at R4. This location does not seem to be maturing as quickly as the Western location, though the planting dates are more similar. This is likely due to the drought conditions and growing degree day accumulation.

The summary of locations, last week’s weather, planting dates, GDDs and stages is presented in Table 1.