Mother nature sure has not been very cooperative this spring! My weather station near Centerburg has recorded 8.8 inches of rain for the Month of May and 1.7 in. for June (through 6/25). The 5 year average for May is 4.85 in. and June 4.46 in. Looking at the 2 month totals for May and June we have had 10.5 inches. The 5 year average for both months is 9.3 inches. While we are only received a little over an inch of rain above normal for these 2 months, I think we would all like to forget the month of May.
The extremely wet conditions in May significantly delayed planting. This week I have seen corn anywhere from V2 to V8. The table below shows the approximate growing degree days from planting to the various growth stages. At one of our plots, from April 21st (planting date) through June 19th we have accumulated approximately 872 GDD’s. Assuming tasseling will happen around 1420 GDD’s we are about 61% complete.
You can access local weather information anytime at: https://u.osu.edu/knoxcountyag/knox-county-weather-station-data/
The table below shows the approximate Growing Degree Days (GDD’S) required for a corn plant to progress through the different stages of development.
Table 1. Corn GDD’S by growth stage.