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13 articles tagged "2026".

Survey of August 2026: Making or Breaking Field Crops?

August 21, 2026 - From Issue:
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Survey link: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Xid0TER5lkf4jk Survey QR Code: The 2026 growing season started and continues with intense rain events that dropped 3 to 6 inches in a single day, which was impressive in its own right. Unfortunately, these intense storms have continued all season long. Historic rains and floods settled across many counties of Indiana in the past few weeks with single events dumping 8 to 15 inches of rain. The effect on corn and soybeans at this point of the season is unchartered waters. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey to provide insight to the impact to your fields/area and distribution of the extreme weather in August 2026. We welcome all responses from those who were fortunate to get timely rains to those affected by straight line winds to those in the epicenter of historic floods. We would like to partner with you to track crop response[Read More…]

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Late-season Rainfall, Flooding, and Cloudy Weather Impacts on Indiana Corn

August 21, 2026 - From Issue:
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During the week of August 11, much of Indiana received excessive to record-setting rainfall (Figure 1). Portions of eastern Indiana, for example, received more than 13 inches of rainfall, setting local rainfall records and producing conditions rarely or ever experienced in the region. The 2026 growing season continues to be characterized by highly variable and extreme weather events, particularly during the latter half of the growing season. These conditions have introduced questions about how excessive rainfall, saturated soils, and also extended cloudy weather may influence corn grain fill, yield, stalk quality, and harvestability. Therefore, this article helps to provide insights on the late-season impacts of these weather events and also what Indiana corn farmers should be paying attention to as harvest season approaches. Excessive Rainfall and Saturated Soils One small sliver of hope is that corn is generally less susceptible to waterlogging and saturation during reproductive development than during early[Read More…]

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Soaking Rains to End the Summer, And Then Some

August 21, 2026 - From Issue:
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After a drier-than-normal July, recent rains have put Indiana on notice for above-normal precipitation. Just two weeks into August, there was enough precipitation to cover the month’s typical August rainfall, and then some. Much of the state received over 400 percent of normal precipitation for the first two weeks of the month, and some locations east of Indianapolis received over 600 percent of normal August rainfall. Only in far southern and southwestern Indiana was precipitation near or below normal as of August 15.   The heaviest impacts were felt across central and northern Indiana. Indianapolis, Crawfordsville, Lafayette, Kokomo, Richmond, Columbus, Anderson, and Muncie were among the locations affected by heavy rainfall. Indianapolis normally receives 3.2 inches during August but had already recorded 5.32 inches by August 19, making it the city’s wettest August in 10 years with 13 days remaining. Henry County was an especially notable rainfall hot spot. Several[Read More…]

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A lot of rain before a break comes

August 14, 2026 - From Issue:
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There was a period earlier this year when southern Indiana was getting all the rain.  Flooding was a concern. The rest of Indiana was hoping for their share. Then this week happened. A lot of rain has fallen almost everywhere but southern Indiana.  Perhaps this will provide some time for those down south to assess if things have returned to normal, or if there are now visible indicators of abnormally dry or even moderate drought developing.  There is still some rain (not a lot) expected in these regions so hopefully that will keep either moisture extreme (drought or flooding) from happening. Then, there’s the rest of Indiana.  Locations in eastern Indiana have reported over 6 inches of rain within 24 hours!  Over the past few days, amounts across northern and eastern Indiana have totaled from 3” to almost 10” (Figure 1).  There are several locations (e.g., Delaware County) that reported[Read More…]

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It’s hover fly time again!

August 14, 2026 - From Issue:
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Going back to about 2016 or so, a species of hover fly (and their larvae) have become increasingly common in and near Indiana cornfields. Last weekend I attended a picnic where they were a topic of conversation because they were landing on everyone and everything. They are harmless but annoying. They have no stingers and cannot bite. These are syrphid flies in the genus Toxomerus (likely Toxomerus politus), and mimic bees and wasps with their yellow/orange and black striping. These flies are common in and around cornfields because the larvae feed on pollen. Each corn plant produces hundreds of thousands of surplus pollen grains, many of which end up in leaf axils. That’s where many of the maggots, fly larvae, can be found. They are taking advantage of a free, reliable protein source. Many syrphid fly larvae are beneficial predators, feeding on aphids, whiteflies and other soft-bodied pest insects. For[Read More…]

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Spotty rain keeps drought away

August 7, 2026 - From Issue:
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Abnormally Dry (“D0” in the U.S. Drought Monitor [USDM]) conditions were starting to develop in several areas across northern Indiana by the end of July.  However, intermittent, spotty rain events as July transitioned to August seemed to occur in many of those places suggesting conditions were returning to normal.  Therefore, the only area of the state that is still considered Abnormally Dry is in the northeastern counties (Figure 1).  Periods of dryness are not uncommon, particular over the summer when warmer temperatures can accelerate evapotranspiration.  The challenge becomes assessing whether the drier periods are normal or abnormal.  For now, most of Indiana seems to be more normal.  Will this last? The rain forecast over the next 7 days (through August 14th) is predicting a chance of rain every day.  Those chances may range from 10% to over 80%.  This is often tricky to interpret.  If it does not rain in[Read More…]

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Dry conditions in the forecast – drought developing?

July 24, 2026 - From Issue:
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Aside from southern and far northern Indiana, the rest of the state has generally received below normal precipitation over the past 30 days (Figure 1).  While only a few localized areas show percentages below the 30 percent-of-normal level (one of the factors considered to recommend the Abnormally Dry (D0) classification to the U.S. Drought Monitor authors), other factors are suggesting something may be developing.  A challenge has been the very spotty nature of heavy precipitation events in the broad region that has caused localized flooded areas nearby areas that seem to keep missing out.  The Indiana state drought monitoring team has also been looking at other factors such as evapotranspiration, soil moisture, stream and lake levels, and groundwater levels.  Several of those factors did suggest the area was already abnormally dry so without significant additional precipitation most of Indiana is likely to enter the D0 category soon.  Rumors will start[Read More…]

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