Drought conditions make it easy to spot problems so you can fix
them for next season. They’re also an opportunity to produce
yield maps that will be valuable in future stressful seasons and
variable-rate application. Understanding the effects of drought
can help set the stage for a bumper crop next year Raising top
corn yields, and turning a profit, is essentially a matter of
dealing with crop stress—either avoiding it or minimizing its
impact. Right now, most farmers are dealing with the results of
drought and extreme heat. The only upside to the situation is
that it can provide insight to help you grow a bumper crop next
year, weather permitting. If you take a close look, you probably
will notice that all of your fields have not been equally
stressed, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. With
harvest under way or just around the corner, it’s time to take
stock of your fields. Ferrie suggests a four-step process:
First, locate your worst problem areas; second, determine the
real cause of the stress