BEEMER, Neb. — Corn fields across northeast Nebraska are progressing through pollination with encouraging yield potential, but growers say the next few weeks will be critical as crops enter grain fill under increasingly dry conditions.
During this week’s Fridays in the Field, Chris Ruskamp of Ruskamp Seeds near Beemer said many fields are shorter than normal after limited rainfall during June, though that doesn’t necessarily mean producers should expect lower yields.
“The crops are a little bit shorter than normal, which doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to have shorter yields,” Ruskamp said. “It’s been coming around nice.”
Standing in a field near Beemer, Ruskamp explained that recent drought conditions caused many corn plants to “hunker down,” slowing development and creating more uneven tassel emergence across fields. That has also delayed some fungicide applications, as growers wait for tassels to fully emerge before making treatments.
While pollination is progressing, moisture has become the biggest concern heading into the remainder of the growing season.
“Right now we’re at peak water usage right after pollination, and the early grain fill water is critical,” Ruskamp said. “We’re on our knees praying for rain.”
Rainfall has been highly variable throughout the area, with some fields receiving enough moisture while others remain dry. According to Ruskamp, even fields located just a mile apart have experienced dramatically different rainfall totals, leaving lighter soils especially vulnerable.
“The rains have been so spotty,” he said. “You can go a mile north and one end of the field might only catch five or ten hundredths, while the other end gets a half inch.”
Despite the uneven conditions, Ruskamp remains optimistic that timely rainfall could still help produce a strong crop.
“We’ve got a really good start,” he said. “If we can just get the right conditions to finish it out, we’ll be fine.”
Beyond discussing crop conditions, Ruskamp also shared how his business has evolved alongside changing technology. Four years ago, Ruskamp Seeds added its first agricultural drone as a way to provide additional work for employees outside of the busy seed season. Since then, the operation has expanded into custom aerial application, product testing, drone sales, and equipment service.
“It basically started about four years ago when we bought our first drone,” Ruskamp said. “It exploded from there.”
Today, the business serves as an authorized DJI drone service center while also using drones to evaluate new crop protection products through small field trials. The technology allows Ruskamp to compare products under local growing conditions before making recommendations to customers.
“The nice thing about drones is it allows us to work with products that we want to test,” Ruskamp said. “We can put small plots in these fields, monitor them, and help our customers make decisions based on what performs well in our area.”
Fridays in the Field is presented in partnership with FNBO, the Great Big Small Bank.
