The Pro Farmer Crop Tour identified significant variability in the Eastern Corn Belt, with crop maturity emerging as a major concern. U.S. Farm Report host Tyne Morgan participated in the eastern leg of the tour and said Illinois was her biggest surprise. “A farmer described it to me as death by a thousand paper cuts,” Morgan told RRFN. “There’s been so many curveballs that have hit this Illinois crop that typically is bulletproof. You had hail, you had high winds, water; some of these areas in Illinois had over 20 inches of rain in June.” Earlier in the week, corn development is notably behind in parts of Indiana and Ohio. “I think the headline this year is how immature the crop is,” Morgan said. “August is going to be crucial to figure out how this crop finishes this year.”
