Ohio corn reaches key stages despite drought

By Andi Anderson

In Ohio, the proportion of corn at the silking stage increased dramatically from the previous Crop Progress report and surpassed previous records.

In Ohio, 81% of maize had achieved the silking stage as of July 28, up 21 percentage points from the previous week. The state's corn crop was only 54% at this stage last year; for the previous five years, the average was 60%.

A quarter of Ohio’s corn had progressed to the dough stage by July 28. This represents a 12-percentage-point increase from the previous week. Last year, only 2% of corn had reached this stage, and the five-year average is 9%.

Regarding corn condition, two-thirds of Ohio’s crop was rated good or excellent, with only 5% rated poor or very poor as of the week ending July 28. Specifically, 1% was very poor, 4% poor, 29% fair, 55% good, and 11% excellent.

Dry Weather Concerns

Despite positive corn progress and condition, dry weather in Ohio is raising concerns. Ben Torrance, State Statistician for the USDA NASS Ohio Field Office, reported that dry conditions were starting to worry farmers, according to the Ohio Crop Weather report released on July 29.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report from July 30 indicated that over 72% of the state was abnormally dry or worse. Nearly 40% of Ohio was experiencing at least moderate drought, and almost 14% were facing severe drought conditions.

Perspective from Pickaway County Farmer

Pickaway County is among the hardest-hit areas, with over 99% of the county in severe drought as of July 30. Brenna Gibson, who farms with her husband H.L. in Pickaway County, noted they don’t expect a bumper crop this year. “This year is extremely dry. Last year was a great crop year,” she said.

Gibson mentioned that their area is particularly dry compared to neighboring regions.

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