We have a saying in our family, “Careful what you pray for.” It seems like if we pray for rain, we get storms. If we pray for dry weather, or, even worse, put down some hay, it’s almost guaranteed that it will rain – no matter what the forecast said two hours ago.
For the last several summers, we haven’t had much moisture or many opportunities for storms. But this year Mother Nature has been more generous. And as I’ve watched the weather, I’ve noticed extreme weather and storms all over the country.
For farmers, that raises an important question. What should be done when a field catches too much wind or hail?
“Storm damage almost always looks way worse than it really is,” explained Miner Institute’s Allen Wilder in a recent Miner Institute Farm Report. “If you need to assess the field for insurance or decision-making purposes, I suggest waiting several days before doing so to get a more accurate picture of what’s gone and what’s not.”
Wilder recommended looking up a hail damage chart in the event of a storm to estimate yield losses, particularly to corn fields. One version from Iowa State University extension can be found here: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/eccrops/hailcornchart.html.
“Hail charts show the estimated grain loss from both plant population reduction and defoliation of the remaining plants,” he detailed. “For example, a 10% stand loss at the V11 stage corresponds to a 19% yield loss with 65% defoliation.”
Logically, corn is less vulnerable to extreme damage from wind or hail during vegetative stages, and it becomes more at risk as it reaches early reproductive stages.
If you have sustained significant hail or wind damage, Wilder suggested considering interseeding a cover crop into the damaged field.
“On the flip side, defoliated corn represents a great opportunity to try interseeding a cover crop,” Wilder shared. “The additional light in the canopy will allow for excellent establishment of a species like annual ryegrass, while having a negligible impact on the remaining crop.”
As he explained, it’s better to have a chosen cover crop establishment rather than weeds. So, as this summer draws to a close, I wish you timely rains and less hail and wind events.
The author is a dairy farmer in Kansas and a former associate editor at Hoard’s Dairyman. Raised on a 150-cow dairy near Valley Center, Kansas, Maggie graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in agricultural communications and animal sciences.
