Category: Corn

Corn Fungicide ROI Calculator

Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

The Crop Protection Network has a new corn fungicide return on investment (ROI) calculator: cropprotectionnetwork.org/fungicide-roi-calculator. This can be used to determine estimated ROI for your corn crop and can be used to select if and which products to use. Pre-populated data is used, but you can customize the inputs for your operation. The following is information on the tool from the Crop Protection Network website:

Information on the Corn Fungicide ROI Calculator

The purpose of this calculator is to share results from university uniform corn fungicide trials conducted in the United States and Canada, and allow farmers and others in the agricultural industry to calculate the potential return on investment (ROI) for corn fungicide application across a variety of user-defined factors, which is based on research data included in this calculator. 

The treatment cost, expected benefits, and breakeven probability values shown in the calculator are estimates based on data and not guaranteed values. Also, values are derived from data collected in trials designed to test specific product comparisons, and data are not available for all labeled fungicides on corn. Data are not comprehensive and represent only the treatments tested in these trials.

How were fungicide products selected for inclusion in the calculator?

The Corn Disease Working Group (CDWG) develops annual uniform testing protocols based on feedback from university extension specialists. Trials typically test between five and 10 fungicide products per year, per trial. Products are selected based on availability and market share, and typically represent products available to and used by a majority of farmers. Focus is also placed on newer products where efficacy data might be lacking across the corn production belt of the United States.

How were treatment costs determined?

The CDWG solicits information on fungicide product pricing and application costs from university extension specialists annually. Methods for collecting these costs vary by state or province and year. Specialists may collect pricing information from surveys or direct feedback from university Extension, industry, farmers, and other agricultural personnel. Product and application costs are averaged, and a national mean and median are determined for each product based on submitted data. The treatment costs for each product listed can be changed to tailor the expected benefit estimates to local pricing.

How are expected net benefits/acre calculated?

The expected net benefit is an estimate of ROI when considering several variable factors that can be measured or estimated. These factors include the proportional yield benefit (yield of the treated plots vs. non-treated) for each fungicide across a range of disease levels. This is then combined with total treatment cost (cost of the fungicide plus application cost) and expected commodity sale price per bushel with both parameters fit to a function that estimates the expected net benefit per acre. This function is only a best estimate based on the available data and reported, real-world treatment costs. Unaccountable error and uncertainty exists in the data and actual ROI may occasionally be significantly different from the estimates reported here.

How are expected breakeven probabilities calculated?

Thousands of simulations were performed to estimate the expected ROI of fungicide usage application across a range of inputs used to calculate expected net benefits. The expected breakeven probabilities represent the proportion of total simulations that had an expected net benefit of zero or greater, given a fungicide and set of crop characteristic inputs.

What does disease severity mean?

“Low” indicates simulations made using a final end-of-season disease severity level of 1%. “High” indicates simulations made using end-of-season disease severity level of 5% or above. The levels were chosen based on previous research demonstrating detectable yield loss from disease at 5% or above. You may also choose to explore a different end-of-season severity by ticking the box next to “I’d like to enter a custom disease severity %.” Disease severity levels should be set at what is expected for a particular hybrid in a particular field at the end of the season.

Important notes about data

Currently data available in the calculator are from university uniform corn fungicide trials conducted across 19 states and Ontario, Canada between 2019 and 2022. Primary diseases in this data set were tar spot and southern rust. Diseases, such as gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, and others, were observed at lower frequencies in this dataset.

Disclaimer

This information is only a guide, but is based on multi-year research across multiple locations. Contributors and data managers assume no liability resulting from the use of these estimates. 

References to products in this resource are not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others that may be similar. Individuals using such products assume responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer. 

Find out More 

The Crop Protection Network (CPN) is a multi-state and international collaboration of university and provincial extension specialists, and public and private professionals who provide unbiased, research-based information to farmers and agricultural personnel. Our goal is to communicate relevant information that will help professionals identify and manage field crop diseases.

Find more crop protection resources at the Crop Protection Network. 

Acknowledgments

Data compilation:

Maria Oros, Isaac Baumann, and Jason Lo, Data Science Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: April 2025

Western Maryland

Weather has been different in 2025 for sure here in Washington County. We had some of the lowest temperatures for some years and the longest sustained cold spell in recent memory. Hopefully this will help break some insect and disease cycles. Additionally, the snow was good ground water recharge although not as much as we would have liked. Then came the dry weather. The later part of winter and early spring has been unseasonably dry if we can even use that phrase anymore. Recent showers and projected precipitation has raised our hopes again for a good crop year, even if the only activity to date has been fertilizer and manure application. Planters are being tuned up and farmers are practicing their patience waiting for soil temperatures to raise.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland

Temperatures have been all over the place. It was 80 degrees a few weekends ago, and this morning it was 29 degrees. Temperatures are predicted to be a bit more spring-like over the next week and a half. Recent rains have made small grains and cover crops look better. We are still in a drought. Nitrogen and herbicide applications have gone out on wheat and barley. In eastern Montgomery County, wheat is at Feekes 5 (leaf strongly erected).—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.

Northern Maryland

The theme for this winter has been cold and dry. We did get a few significant snow storms, but we are still very dry—recent rains are contributing to some good topsoil moisture at the moment. Hay and pastures look very good. Small grains did not tiller very much in the fall but have greened up and look decent and the second shot of nitrogen will be going on in the next week or so. Temperatures have dropped back into the 30s and 40s this week and soil temperatures are still running about 5 degrees cooler than normal. In a normal year there would be planters hitting the fields in the next few days for a few early plant fields, but not this year—we are still a couple of weeks from that.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper & Mid Shore

No report this month.

Lower Eastern Shore

Spring has sprung but the ground is still cold and wet. Farmers have been able to get into the fields to apply manure, and most manure application is done. Some fields are being tilled. The first spray of spring nitrogen is being applied to wheat. Cover crops are still growing on the majority of fields, although termination has begun. Corn and soybean planting has not started due to wet and cold soil conditions.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

Farmers are preparing for planting. Everyone is busy spreading litter/manure, applying herbicides and completing field operations before planting commences. The region received some much-needed rains over the last two weeks with more anticipated this weekend. Field temperatures are still a little cool for planting with the cold front moving through this week driving temperatures lower. I suspect most planters will hit the field next week when temperatures warm again. Burndown of annual ryegrass continue to be a challenge.  Small grain crops are at jointing stage. Most of the second N applications are being made now. Alfalfa fields are a but earlier than normal with first cutting coming up soon. Alfalfa weevil is active. Hay fields have greened up nicely. We have struggled with fall planted cool season grasses across the region. Stands did not establish due to the dry fall and annual weeds are plentiful without the competition.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s

University of Maryland Researchers Encourage Farmers to Participate in TAPS program

Researchers at the University of Maryland are inviting growers across the state to participate in their University of Maryland – Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UMD-TAPS) program this year. The program is supported by the Maryland Soybean Board and will run throughout the summer.

Piloted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the TAPS program provides farmers with a zero-risk opportunity to advance their agricultural management skills and knowledge. It serves as a growing season contest and research framework, designed to uncover how producers’ management decisions drive crop yields, farm profitability, and input-use efficiency.

Growers must make decisions about variety selection, fertility, pest management, and irrigation and their management decisions will be executed in small plots at the Wye Research and Education Center. Decisions made by all participants will be executed in one field, in a true head-to-head competition. The goal is to identify which suite of management decisions will become the most profitable, efficient, and highest yielding.

Researchers at the Maryland Agricultural Experimentation Station (MAES) WYE Research and Education Center will lead the program and gather data on each plot to share with farmers.

When the season ends, growers will participate in an awards dinner where they will gain access to valuable data sets to help them enhance their agricultural operations.

The irrigated corn competition is limited to 20 teams and the irrigated soybean competition is limited to 15 teams. Due to limited availability, researchers urge teams to sign up as soon as possible.

Interested applicants can sign up by following this link: bit.ly/UMDTAPS25. For any questions, please reach out to Dr. Nicole Fiorellino at nfiorell@umd.edu.

2024 Soybean & Corn Pest Management Survey

Farmers and crop consultants are encouraged to complete this survey

This survey is intended to estimate the impact of pests on soybeans and currently used management strategies. Your perspective is valuable in making these estimates as accurate as possible. Your responses will be kept confidential and only aggregated responses for the state will be published. You can find last year’s estimates at https://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/Volume17/Vol-17-1_TOC.html.

The survey can be completed online at https://delaware.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8GnhiHa4rn9ToPP or by following the QR code. If you have any questions, please contact us by email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you.

Local Contact: David Owens, University of Delaware     

Email:            owensd@udel.edu                  bcsam@udel.edu        

Phone:            C: (302) 698-7125        

Local Contact: Kelly Hamby, University of Maryland

Email:       kahamby@umd.edu

Phone:      C: (925) 354 0483

2024 Corn Hybrid Performance Trials Results

Nicole Fiorellino | nfiorell@umd.edu
Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Agronomy

The 2024 Maryland Corn Hybrid Trials results can be found at https://psla.umd.edu/extension/md-crops or downloaded at the link below. Many thanks to Louis Thorne, Gene Hahn, and Audrey Sultenfuss for their time spent preparing, establishing, collecting data, and preparing the report. These trials could not be completed without them. I greatly appreciate the Center managers and personnel who assist our team with executing these trials.

We are grateful for the funding provided by Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board to support these trials. MGPUB provides our program with checkoff funding to support applied agricultural research and so we may generate results that directly benefit Maryland producers.

Download the 2024 Corn Hybrid Trials Report here

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: September 2024

Reports are for crop conditions up to September 5, 2024.

Western Maryland

August brought us more rain than June and July combined. The hay and pasture fields responded, and there is hope for continued grazing and another cutting. The soybeans are probably the greatest beneficiary of the moisture. They are looking great as their pods fill. Modern varieties are a wonder to behold. Corn silage harvest began earlier this year thanks to the heat and drought. Many folks are glad they planted a little extra corn, primarily due to the need for forage and the low grain price forecast. Running it through livestock will add value. Triticale and oats are going in the ground for both fall and spring forage. Cool mornings and mild days have raised our countenance here in Western Maryland.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland 

August has finally brought some much needed rain; although amounts have been scattered throughout the region. A storm last week caused crop damage in some areas of the region. While it won’t be a year for record-breaking yields, most of the corn and soybeans are looking fairly good. The majority of corn is in the dent stage and is starting to dry down. Silage chopping has begun. Full season soybeans are in the beginning seed stage (R5).—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.

Northern Maryland

About 6” of rain fell in August, which really woke up soybeans, especially later planted beans and double crops. Unfortunately, the rains have ceased, with the last measurable rainfall coming over two weeks ago. Rain is predicted for this weekend, so fingers crossed for good rainfall to finish out what could be a strong late season bean crop. Corn is rapidly drying down and a few acres have been harvested but the majority of corn is still 25% moisture or better. We are about another 10-14 days before the combines are rolling hard. Tar spot was also confirmed in the region at the end of August, consistent with the two years prior. A lot of good dry hay was put up over the last two weeks.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper and Mid Shore

July’s much-needed rains tapered off, leaving August with sporadic showers that varied significantly depending on your neck of the woods. This inconsistency has led to some challenging conditions for crops. Signs of water stress have become apparent; soybean leaves are cupping and corn leaves are curling from lack of moisture. In response, center pivots on irrigated fields have been fired up again, helping to maximize yield potential after a brief respite in July. Corn is drying down, with some early-planted fields already harvested. Soybeans are also moving along, with early maturing varieties starting to turn and double crop beans filling out their pods. The dry conditions earlier in the season provided the perfect environment for Palmer amaranth to thrive and compete with the crops. They can clearly be seen towering over the soybean and even corn in both conventional and organic fields. The region has also noticed more spotted lanternfly activity as these pests hit their final growth stage and take to the air. While they’re mostly just a nuisance in agronomic crops, controlling them can really help out your local fruit and vegetable grower, who would surely appreciate the effort.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.

Lower Shore

Corn is drying down, but harvest has not yet begun. Due to low grain prices, farmers are inclined to let corn completely dry in the field, rather than take a moisture price hit at the mills. Drought stress during vegetative and early reproductive phases hurt corn. Yield is anticipated to be poor, and ears look small. Soybean is looking better than corn, especially double-crop soybean planted after wheat. There have not been reports of serious pest or weed damage. Cover crops are being flown into some corn fields via airplane.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

Conditions remain very dry across the majority of Southern Maryland. Corn harvest is in full swing with reports of average to well below average yields. Yields vary greatly within and between fields depending on soil type and where isolated showers happened to fall. Grain quality is a major concern this year. Growers are encouraged to get corn off as early as possible. Beans continue to put up the good fight. Many full season beans are yellowing and drying down. Double crop beans will need some more help to fill out pods. Farmers have been scouting for pod worms and stink bugs. Thankfully, only a few fields have reached threshold and required a treatment so far. Weeds continue to require attention as fields have taken longer to canopy if at all, allowing greater opportunity for weeds to gain their share of the limelight. We continue to see ragweed, pigweeds of all types, and morning glory present. Deer damage is readily apparent in later planted beans that are failing to re-grow or canopy following deer feeding. Forages have struggled this summer with many fields of cool season grasses requiring replanting this fall or next spring.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s

Tar Spot Update: First Reports for 2024

Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

Figure 1. Map of tar spot of corn for 2024 growing season as of September 5.

Our first official reports of tar spot have been confirmed in Maryland for 2024; almost exactly on pace for when we first detected tar spot in 2023 and 2022. The first report came from a dent corn field in Baltimore County on August 22 and subsequent reports were made from fields in Harford County on August 27 and September 4. All of these fields are near black layer and yield loss due to tar spot infection is not likely unless infection occurred earlier in grain fill or during pollination. It is not likely that we had tar spot infections occurring in July due to the extreme heat this year. Tar spot infections require lower temperatures than other common fungal diseases of corn such as gray leaf spot.

As average daily temperatures begin to dip into the mid 70s and mid 60s, tar spot symptoms will likely start to flare up in corn. Tar spot can spread as long as there is green tissue on the plant, which means symptoms can worsen even past black layer, making for a field that could look far worse than it actually is. For reference, last fall I did yield checks in two corn fields and one research plot that had fairly moderate levels of tar spot infection (Figure 2) but still yielded very well (220-300 bu/a), with the field with the worst symptoms topping 300 bushels. What likely happened is tar spot infected corn close to R5-R6 and it continued to spread after black layer since the plants stayed green beyond physiological maturity due to the stay green effect of foliar fungicides that were applied to these fields. Even though tar spot spores can blow short distances in the wind, if you are harvesting a field infected with tar spot, it would be a good practice to try to clean as much corn fodder off of equipment prior to moving to a new farm; a blower or air compressor will do the trick.

Figure 2. Tar spot symptoms on a senesced corn leaf.

As you are scouting your corn fields, be on the lookout for tar spot. With funding from the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, we are conducting a survey of the distribution of tar spot in Maryland. If you have tar spot, or think you might, please report it to corn.ipmpipe.org or reach out to me at akness@umd.edu or (410) 638-3255. Reports are kept anonymous and individuals and/or farms are not identified in any reports, publications, or communications.

Ear and Stalk Rots May be an Issue in Corn

Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

stalk and ear rot of corn
Stalk rot (left) and ear rot (right) of corn.

With the dry then wet (then dry again) weather pattern we had this year, corn went through a lot of stress. Stressed corn is much more susceptible to ear rots and stalk rots. The degree of severity is dependent on a variety of factors, so it is wise to scout fields prior to harvesting in order to identify problematic fields and give them harvest priority.

Several different pathogens can cause ear rots in Maryland; the main contenders are listed in the table below. Although they typically do not affect yield, they can cause grain quality issues through the production of mycotoxins. Furthermore, if infected grain is not dried quickly or to a low enough moisture content, infection can spread, even when in the bin. Therefore, it is important to scout and identify fields that are infected with ear rots and harvest those first. It is better to pay a few cents in propane to dry the wet grain than to wait and risk infection levels getting worse, and the potential for elevated mycotoxin concentration in the grain. Quickly dry infected grain to 15% for short-term storage and to below 13% for long term storage and it is not recommended to store infected grain for longer than a year. It is important to note that not all ear rotting fungi produce mycotoxins, so I would recommend working with your Extension agent or crop advisor to get proper identification so that you know the species in question and thus if mycotoxin contamination is a concern.

Table 1. Common ear rots of corn.

Disease Pathogen Symptoms (see next page for pictures) Mycotoxin
Fusarium ear rot Fusarium verticillioides “Starburst” kernels, white kernels, infected kernels may be scattered on ear Fumosin
Gibberella ear rot Fusarium graminearum Ear covered in white mat often with pink hue, infection starts at tip and can progress to butt end of ear Vomitoxin (DON)
Diplodia ear rot Stenocarpella maydis and S. macrospora White fungal mat on ear, may cover the entire ear None
Penicillium ear rot Several Penicillium species Blue-grey spores on kernels developing on damaged ears (hail, deer feeding, insects, birds, etc.), may infect the germ of the kernel Some species may produce mycotoxins
Trichoderma ear rot Trichoderma viride Green spores in between kernels None
Aspergillus ear rot Aspergillus flavus Olive green spores on ear, usually starting at tip, associated with damaged ears (feeding from insects, deer, birds, etc.) Aflatoxin

Stalk rots are also a harvest concern. Like ear rots, stalk rots are also caused by many different pathogens, several of which are listed in Table 2 below. No single factor causes stalk rots; they are rather the end result of a host of factors that contribute to a net deficit in plant carbohydrates needed for grain fill. The grain fill process is a major carbohydrate sink for the plant. As the plant produces carbohydrates through photosynthesis, it allocates almost all of it’s carbohydrate production to filling the kernels. A healthy plant will have sufficient leaf area to maximize photosynthesis and can therefore produce enough carbohydrates to fill the grain. However, when photosynthetic leaf area is compromised, the plant cannot make enough food to fill the kernels. In order to compensate for the deficit, the plant cannibalizes carbohydrates from existing tissues. The first tissues to go are the stalks, which are then easily compromised by stalk-rotting pathogens. Stalk rot is a byproduct of stressed plants during the growing season, particularly during grain fill.

Table 2. Common stalk rots of corn.

Disease Pathogen
Anthracnose stalk rot Colletotrichum graminicola
Diplodia stalk rot Stenocarpella maydis
Charcoal rot Macrophpmina phaseolina
Gibberella stalk rot Fusarium graminearum
Fusarium stalk rot Multiple Fusarium species

Any factor that reduces leaf area or reduces photosynthesis after pollination will predispose plants to stalk rots. These include reduced leaf area through insect feeding, lesions from foliar diseases, or mechanical damage (such as hail). Other factors include inadequate fertility, water stress, and excessive plant populations. Another significant factor is hybrid genetics; both resistance ratings to stalk rotting pathogens as well as ear and kernel size. High-yielding, large kernel hybrids are more susceptible to stalk rots if they are not kept healthy through grain fill.

Scout fields for stalk rots as early as black layer. The “pinch test” is one way to scout for stalk rots. Pinch the stalk in between the nodes at one of the lower two nodes. You should not be able to pinch healthy stalks, but rotted stalks will fairly easily collapse. Do this at several random locations to assess the field. Alternatively, you can do a “push test,” which involves pushing the corn stalks approximately 30 degrees from horizontal (8 inches laterally) at a height of about eye level. Healthy stalks will return to vertical while infected plants will not. If more than 10% of plants tested exhibit stalk rot symptoms, you may want to harvest as soon as possible or risk a not-so-fun harvest of lodged corn.

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: August 2024

Reports are for crop conditions up to August 1, 2024.

Western Maryland

Welcome rains have sporadically arrived in Washington County. This has been the story for much of the summer. It depends on your location and how much rain you receive, out of which storms. Earlier in the spring, the southern part of the county was blessed more than the part that hugs the Mason-Dixon Line. July has seen that trend nearly turned on its head. Wheat is off, and test weights and yields were good. Many acres of optimistic double-crop beans were planted again. Moisture has dictated the success of those plantings. It is too soon to make any predictions on corn yields, but in many places, plants are shorter, but the ears might fill just fine. So we wait. In two weeks, choppers will start running, and corn silage will be our first indicator of yields. Peach harvest started a little early, and they are smaller, and yields are lower, but they are sweet.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland 

Corn and soybeans are well into reproductive stages and further along than previous years. Most of the region has experienced drought conditions throughout the growing season. Some growers have begun chopping early corn silage given how far hot dry weather has pushed the crop. Very limited disease pressure throughout the region. Recent rains have been welcomed, where received. Most precipitation events have been sporadically distributed to say the least.—Mark Townsend, Frederick Co.

Northern Maryland

We ended July with around 3” of rain here at the Harford County Extension office. Rains were more periodic in July; however, that is not the case for the entire region—rains continue to be scarce the further west into Baltimore and Carroll County you go and the rain that has fallen across our region has been very scattered and localized. You can find corn that looks very good and you can find corn that looks very poor all in the same county. I do believe that most places are “holding on” in terms of yield—I think we will fare OK and we may have avoided a complete disaster but corn yields will certainly be off of our norm. Soybeans are flowering and look good; if they can fill all the pods they’re initiating then soybean yields should be strong; the next few weeks will make or break them.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper and Mid Shore

The first couple of weeks in July brought us more of the high temperatures we’ve been experiencing, but unlike June, we were finally blessed with some much-needed rain across the region. While some areas received more rain than others, it was all welcome. The timing couldn’t have been better, as most of the corn was entering the reproductive stages right at the start of the month. Due to this, late-planted corn is likely to yield better than the earlier-planted corn. Both full-season soybeans and corn are now in their reproductive stages. Most of the corn has finished pollination and is moving into kernel development. On the small grains front, yields were either on par with or lower than last year, with not many reports of fields outdoing last year’s yields. The recent rains have also triggered a flush of weeds. If you look out over the soybean canopy, you’ll see those notorious pigweeds, common lambsquarters, morningglories, and annual grasses making an appearance, especially in the lesser-managed fields.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent

Lower Shore

We have had periodic rains the last few weeks and much of the drought damaged corn is greening up. Farmers are optimistic that the corn will pull through and have average yields. The later planted corn the better, in terms of less drought damage. Most corn is now in reproductive stages. Some corn is being aerially sprayed with fungicides. Milo is heading out. Soybean also faced drought damage, but is looking good with the recent rains. Double crop beans are starting to take off with growth. Substantial weed or pest pressure has not been reported..—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

The region is finally getting some relief from the hot dry conditions we have experienced since June. Rain showers have been scattered, so some areas are better off than others. Unfortunately, some of the rains have come a bit late for corn which was past pollination. For the conditions this year, the crop overall looks much better than should be expected. Soybeans follow much of the same story. Many full season beans could never get off the ground with a lack of moisture and constant deer predation. These plants are now trying to canopy and flower but are way behind schedule for this time of year. Weeds, especially annual grasses, marestail, Palmer amaranth and common ragweed have taken advantage of the extra sunlight and lack of canopy closure to germinate. Many fields are speckled with these weeds coming in later in the season.  Double crops beans struggled to germinate in the dry conditions or were planted late. They have made good strides in the last couple of weeks. Vegetable crops are coming off now with a consolidated harvest season due to the hot temperatures as of late squeezing the harvest window.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s

Maryland Regional Crop Reports: July 2024

Reports are for crop conditions up to July 5, 2024.

Western Maryland

Dry, dry, dry. The pleasant spring has turned into a dry summer so far. Even when the heat isn’t oppressive, the sun is bright, and the wind blows all wonderful conditions for drying out things. Corn and full-season bean planting is a memory. Wheat harvest is in full swing, and yields and test weights are good. Two cuttings of alfalfa are off, and we are hoping for enough moisture to make a third cutting. Double-crop beans are going in the ground, further proving that farmers are the most optimistic people on the planet. Until next month, keep looking up. One day, those clouds will have rain in them, and we will need it.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

Central Maryland 

The wet spring resulted in lots of slugs and replanted soybeans. However, in the last few weeks, the rain has disappeared here in Montgomery County. Temperatures have soared into the upper 90s, resulting in some very dry topsoil, subsoil which is quickly losing moisture, and drought-stressed crops. Some corn fields are starting to tassel, and soybeans are beginning to flower.—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.

Northern Maryland

June was unusually dry and we are in a drought situation. Wheat and barley harvest and straw baling was a breeze to the dry weather, and harvest came about 1-2 weeks earlier than normal due to the dry, windy June. Yields were not near the record-setting numbers we’ve seen the past two years but they were still respectable. Having small grains off early will greatly benefit double-crop soybeans, assuming there’s enough moisture in the ground to germinate them. Earliest planted corn is in tassel by July 4 and we thankfully got a couple of decent storms just as tassels were pushing through and alleviated drought scenarios in many fields; that rain likely saved several bushels. Full season soybeans are also starting to come along nicely now after a slow start that some moisture is back in the soil.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Upper and Mid Shore

Center pivots have been working double time, keeping corn and soybean fields in the region irrigated amid the ongoing dry spell. Significant rain events are a distant memory, and the summer solstice has brought record heat, contributing to visible water stress symptoms on non-irrigated fields. All corn acres are planted, and early-planted corn is currently tasseling. Small grain harvest is progressing well, aided by the dry weather, which has extended the harvest window. As the small grain harvest wraps up, double-crop beans will soon be planted. Meanwhile, sprayers are busy applying post-emergence herbicides to fields to manage pre-emergence weed escapes, most likely due to the absence of an activating rain. Hopefully we get some rainfall soon.—Dwayne Joseph, Kent Co.

Lower Shore

We had a very dry couple of weeks. Crops were showing signs of drought stress with stunting and leaf burning in some fields. This was followed by a 2-4” rain event across much of the Lower Shore. Corn is approaching late vegetative stages, but not yet tasseling. Wheat has been harvested and double crop soybean planted.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Southern Maryland

No report.

*Regions (counties):
Western: Garrett, Allegany, Washington. Central: Frederick, Montgomery, Howard. Northern: Harford, Baltimore, Carroll. Upper & Mid Shore: Cecil, Kent, Caroline, Queen Anne, Talbot. Lower Shore: Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico. Southern: St. Mary’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Prince George’s