Hail almost always seems WAY WORSE than it really is…
We have some hail on our farm almost every year. The first second I look at it, it always feels terrible. After all that hard work and all the dollars we’ve put into the crop, this is what happens?
IF YOU’VE HAD HAIL, I FEEL FOR YOU. IT’S NO FUN!
However, like I said above, in my experience hail always seems worse initially. Sometimes, I think, “I’ve just lost everything!” It’s an emotional time. What I’ve learned over the years, though, is to take the emotion out and be very pragmatic about the whole situation. With that said, the next pages list the simple, three-step process I follow every time after we have hail.
1. REVIEW THE HAIL CHARTS.
Do an internet search for “Iowa State Hail Charts Soybeans” or “Iowa State Hail Charts Corn”. Below is the information you will find. As you can see, there is little to no yield loss early on when there is hail, even severe hail.
SOYBEAN HAIL CHARTS
ESTIMATED PERCENT SOYBEAN YIELD LOSS CAUSED BY DEFOLIATION AT VARIOUS STAGES OF GROWTH
ESTIMATED PERCENT SOYBEAN YIELD LOSS CAUSED BY CUT OFF / BREAK OVER PERCENTAGES
CORN HAIL CHARTS
ESTIMATED PERCENT CORN YIELD LOSS DUE TO DEFOLIATION AT VARIOUS STAGES OF GROWTH
2. INSPECT THE FIELD.
See what growth stage you were at, how much leaf and node loss there is, and where the growing point is if it is a corn field. The other thing to look for is stalk damage. If stalks are too battered, especially with soybeans, I may downgrade my assessment of the field, figuring that some of these plants will fall over eventually.
3. WHEN IT COMES TO REPLANTING, IT HAS TO BE PRETTY BAD IN ORDER FOR ME TO JUSTIFY A REPLANT.
On our farm, if we are still above 80,000 soybean plants per acre or 20,000 corn plants per acre, I will almost certainly leave the stand because replanting will likely produce less yield. Also, the date makes an enormous difference. If it’s July 1, I will likely lower the amount I just gave you in terms of plant stand and pulling the trigger on a replant. However, if it’s June 1, I will likely bump my numbers just a little bit. Replanting is always a judgment call, which is part of the reason I am very hesitant to replant. Also, what your seed dealer and what your crop insurance agent say will likely weigh into all this, as well. No cost versus some cost versus full cost can be a lot of dollars per acre.
OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q
SHOULD I SPRAY A FUNGICIDE?
A
Fungicide will absolutely make your plants look better. Any crop that has been hit by hail has open wounds where disease will enter. Spraying a fungicide helps ward off that disease. This always makes the crop look better, and it’s usually easier to harvest and has better seed quality.
However, it doesn’t always yield more. I am still a fan of spraying a fungicide a week or two after hail, but you will not get a guaranteed yield increase.
Q
IF MY CORN IS SMALL, SHOULD I MOW OFF THE TOPS?
A
Some people over the years have suggested to me that the tops of small corn plants need to get cut off so the new growth can get through easier. We’ve never done this because I’m too worried we will hit the growing point; and while the new growth may struggle to push past dead or damaged leaf tissue, eventually it has always looked fine in my experience.
Q
WILL I HAVE MORE WEED ISSUES AFTER HAIL?
A
Yes. Less crop canopy means more weeds. If your crop is still small, adding more residual herbicide may be the answer, but check with your agronomist and talk about whether or not you think your current herbicide program will be enough. Early hail may not directly lower your yield, but if more weeds show up, that’s a bad thing, both for this year’s yield and next year’s weed seedbank.