Blacklands Region Sitting on a Good Corn Crop

We’ve heard several times over the past couple of weeks how good the North Carolina corn crop is.  The state’s Blacklands region tends to have some of the highest corn yielding acres on the east coast, and Rod Gurganus, Director of Beaufort County Extension says their crop looks good…for the most part:

“We have a lot of acres that typically go into corn production every year, so we certainly have a lot of corn in the area.  Our crop looks really good in  a lot of spots, but the problem is, for us, we also know that there are areas in the fields that had so much rainfall from the two tropical storms earlier in the year that those areas were damaged a lot, and depending on what the growth stage of the corn was at the time leant itself to how well the corn recovered. 

And so, we’re going to have a little bit of a mixed bag, we’re going to pick some really good corn in spots, and I’m afraid we’re going to have some areas where the guys are going to be disappointed, because of the damage we had earlier with water.

So, it’s going to be a bit of a mixed bag for us, but generally speaking, the corn crop really looks pretty darn good right now.”

Soybeans in the eastern part of the state also look good says Gurganus:

“The soybean crop actually looks pretty good, now, as well.  The soybeans did get quite a bit of water damage earlier, but most of that damage, most of the guys were able to get in there and replant when it dried out because our window for planting soybeans is so broad.

So, I think a lot of the guys took care of those problem areas while we have a bit more of a delayed crop than we might normally have, generally speaking, the soybeans look good.” 

And the region’s cotton seems to have gotten past the early cool and wet weather:

“Our cotton crop was growing so slow, earlier, it was just sitting there.  Now, it has finally come out, we finally have weather that’s more conducive to cotton growing off, and it’s looking a lot better now.  It’s a little bit of a delayed crop for us, but so far, it’s looking pretty good.”

Speaking of cotton, early in the season, cotton prices were abysmal, and many producers were on the fence as to whether to plant cotton or go with another crop.  Here mid-season, cotton futures have gotten a boost, so those acres in the ground are looking better and better as far as potential profit says Gurganus:

“The guys are excited about the cotton crop, because now it’s growing off some, and looking more like it should.  The price sitatuion has helped, for sure. 

But, you know we’ve now, going on almost a year since we last picked a decent crop in our area, and that was last year’s corn crop.  We had so much rain and so many problems with the soybean and cotton crop last year in the fall with quality, that it was really bad for us.  The wheat crop this year was abysmal, as well, so we got nothing there.  These guys are really getting antsy, and really need a good crop coming off.  Corn looks good now, they’re excited about the potential for this cotton crop, even if it’s a little delayed it’s still looking pretty good. 

We’re betting on some good crops coming off here, if we can just keep a good season on them.”

Director of Beaufort County Extension, Rod Gurganus.