Drought-affected Corn Yields Vary Widely in North Carolina

Corn yields in Wilson County, North Carolina are expected to be highly variable this year due to summer drought conditions. Farmers like David Blalock have seen significant differences in their crops depending on when they were planted and how much rainfall they received.

'Corn is hit and miss,' said Blalock, who planted about 400 acres of corn this year. 'You can look at the ears and tell it's half the size it normally is or should be.'

The drought in late spring and early summer affected pollination, particularly for early-planted corn. Norman Harrell, North Carolina Cooperative Extension director in Wilson County, explained that corn typically takes 60-75 days from planting to tasseling, a stage where the plant uses up to 0.3 inches of water per day.

'Late planted corn reached the tasseling stage in mid-July, after the county began receiving more consistent rainfall,' Harrell said. 'I think corn yields will be all over the board this year depending on when the corn was planted, soil type and when the rain was received.'