Driving around Vermilion County and into Indiana you probably will come across corn that has already started to tassel. While that might seem early, it’s actually quite normal for this time of year.
Tom Fricke of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau was a guest on our Newsmakers show this morning. He says hot temperatures might pose a problem for corn, but last weekend’s weather should negate that.
“We could have some pollination issues if we get those really hot temperatures. The thing that’s going to save us is the rain that came through over the weekend.”
Fricke said beans are also on track for the year. As for the markets, he says the pandemic did cause corn prices to fall.
“So much of our corn production right now goes into ethanol, and when we weren’t driving anywhere because we were told to stay at home, nobody was using ethanol, and so a lot of corn started to not be used, and that gave us a precipitous drop in corn prices.”
Corn futures on the Chicago Board of Trade are above three dollars a bushel and soybeans are in the high-$8 range, higher than at some points last year but still far below prices a decade ago.
