Just an update of where we are to date. In regard to moisture we are above average by about 25% over the historic normal. This is as you might expect. Some might have thought it to be much higher however the rainfall the past few years has been eradic compared to this season.
On the heat side however this map shows the relative difference between historic normal and what we are experiencing. To date Lebanon is about 100 to 150 heat units behind normal this is about 2 weeks off of the normal development. Take note of areas of the state in blue which are off more than a month. 2 Weeks might not sound like alot however looking to the fall 2 weeks could be a tremendous difference in the development of field crops due to the fact that our days will begin to shorten as today is one of the longest days. Soybeans will begin to flower and that will set the stage for the height of the crop. In the north we use indeterminate varieties which will help allow for internode elongation if proper conditions exist for growth mainly a constant supply of sunlight. On the flip side in low light internodes may stretch to reach more sunlight with indeterminate types.
We have had few clear bright sunny days with temperatures over the target of 86 degrees F to keep the corn in high growth zone. We have been diagnosing many herbicide maladies due to the lack of corn metabolizing products due to these overcast days. Likewise weeds have escaped as well due to the lack of the plant activly growing to adequately take in the enough herbicide to do the job. As we move into this mid season we need as much heat as possible quickly to move this crop toward harvest.
