Derecho Damage May Influence 2021 Corn, Soybean Plantings

The derecho storm system that plowed through nine states in August 2020 is the weather event that wouldn’t die, as some farmers may have to consider derecho damage in making final planting decisions in the Corn Belt this spring. In fields where the storm decimated corn last year, farmers may be forced to plant soybeans because of the difficulty of managing weeds and volunteer corn this year. That’s especially true with herbicide-traited corn last year; any volunteer corn this year could be difficult to control, depending on the hybrids planted last year. Switching the crop rotation to soybeans instead of continuous corn this spring could enable affected farmers to effectively manage both weeds and volunteer corn with herbicides with strong efficacy on grass weeds. If you were hit by the derecho and still have flex acres, make sure you’re making the right planting and weed control decisions now to prevent volunteer corn from becoming a problem later in the year. See more.