农夫导航

The US government is forecasting a record corn crop this year, but pictures of ugly-looking plants spreading fast through social media have triggered concern about the upcoming harvest.

The photos show corn with missing kernels as a result of uneven pollination caused by “tight tassel wrap.” The phenomenon is adding to the frustration of farmers already contending with low grain prices, high fertilizer costs and tougher export markets due to President Donald Trump ‘s trade wars.

It’s a problem that’s not readily apparent at the roadside across vast tracts of the US Midwest, where fields of dark green and uniformly tall corn plants stretch out to the horizon.

“If you were just driving by that field, you’d go, ‘Wow, that corn looks healthy. That corn looks great,'” said , an assistant professor of agronomy and extension corn specialist at Purdue University in Indiana. “You pull some of the ears and go, ‘Oh wow, that’s not as good.'”

The grain market expects to get a better understanding of the scale of the problem this week. The annual Pro Farmer Crop Tour, which gets under way Monday, will see a small army of traders, analysts and journalists act as crop scouts, traveling across fields from Ohio to South Dakota to record in detail the health of corn and soybean crops. They’ll measure the size of plants and keep an eye out for crop diseases, insects and weeds. Estimates are collected and extrapolated across the rest of the country, and compared with the US Department of Agriculture’s outlook.

Corn futures for December delivery rose to their highest price in a week on the Chicago Board of Trade on Monday.

The agency last week estimated an average corn yield of 188.8 bushels per acre and production of 16.742 billion, both at all-time highs. Planted acres increased by to the highest since 2012 this spring, and abundant rainfall and limited heat gave fields a lift.

“Based on conditions up to this point in the season, it’s not surprising that we’re anticipating record-high yields in many states this year,” Anthony Prillaman, acting crops branch chief at the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, said of corn during a .

Soybean yields are also seen at a record by the USDA, although production will be lower after farmers planted fewer acres.

“Tight tassel wrap” occurs when pollen-shedding tassel at the top of the cornstalk remains tightly wrapped in leaves, inhibiting pollen from dropping on the silks shooting from the ears. Kernels go missing usually at the base of the cob.

Illinois farmer Harry McCune said the phenomenon has been minimal in his corn fields, with a few ears hit but “the rest of those ears are so fantastic it probably outweighs a lot of it.”

“Is it ideal? No. But it’s not a disaster,” said McCune, who has scouts that check his fields weekly.

Purdue’s Quinn said the issue is likely tied to wide swings in temperature accompanied by rain, and the genetics of corn hybrids that grow larger tassels and may struggle to emerge from their leaves.

While he’s gotten calls from at least eight states including Kansas and Illinois about the issue, he cautioned that it’s unknown how much it will impact yields.

As estimates from the tour starting coming in, “I could see the yield estimates starting off high and then adjusting them,” he said.

Topics USA Agribusiness