Michigan Corn Continues to Struggle

Corn in the majority of areas of the Midwest in the United States has entered its pollination stage, which is what determines the yield for the year.

Scorching temperatures and little rain has resulted in one of the driest months for June in Michigan, which could result in the worst losses in two decades, and possibly longer if the drought conditions continue.

Some rain has recently fallen, but it's the type that isn't that beneficial, and it hasn't fallen in the most needful corn areas of Michigan.

The problem as to the type of rain is it down poured quickly, which isn't much good in drought areas, as the hard ground prevents it from soaking in, and it simply runs off the soil.

What farmers are looking for is rain that falls over the period of a day, which will slowly soak into the parched ground. That would be beneficial to corn, not the flash rain storms that have been hitting some parts of Michigan.

The second negative factor is the heat, where temperatures play a factor when they approach the 100 degrees mark. In those cases the kernels won't pollinate, and the result is an empty cob.

Experts in the region say there is approximately a two-week window for the crop to recover. If it doesn't happen in that period of time, the losses could be staggering in Michigan, as it could be in many other states in the Midwest.

If the rain continues to be light or scattered, it could be the worst corn yield in Michigan, and the rest of the region, since 1988.