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The National Weather Service 8-14 day forecast calls for temperatures well above normal for most of the country with the greatest upside deviation from normal in western Kansas, reaching down across the Oklahoma panhandle into the northern edge of Texas. Areas of the West coast and New England will be normal to slightly below normal during the period.
The precipitation outlook calls for above normal precipitation from the PNW, through the northern tier of states to the Great Lakes. Florida and areas surrounding the Gulf of America will also see slightly above normal precipitation in the 8-14 day forecast. Below normal precipitation is expected in the southwest and just east of the Great Lakes.
Dome of Doom Overtakes Corn Country… Heat and humidity are building across the Nation’s midsection after a mild, generally wet start to July. Forecasters agree, most impacted areas will see not just high temperatures, but high heat indices, which consider other factors beyond just the heat.
Dr. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for Iowa says even though temperatures may not rise excessively high, the heat index could become intense imperiling both livestock and humans.
Glisan did highlight the chance for heavy storms called ‘ridge riders’ but also noted a heat dome such as this can lock precipitation out of the impacted area. In addition to excessive daytime heat, nighttime temperatures are likely to remain high, allowing little overnight relief to sweltering crops.
Pollination Problems Emerging… As corn growers are evaluating pollination, more reports of problems resulting from the “overly tight tassel wrap” phenomenon are trickling in from farmers and agronomists, with pictures and commentary now posted to social media and various websites.
Reigning world corn yield record holder David Hula says he is seeing the issue in some Virginia fields and also hearing reports along the Eastern Seaboard. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie says he is seeing the issue occur in parts of Illinois as corn reaches about V6 or V7 up through tassel – as the crop goes through rapid growth.
“This corn is growing like crazy, putting on an inch and a half of root a day, putting on a node every three days, that type of thing. The tassel can get wrapped really tight, and usually it’s triggered by some type of stress,” said Ferrie. – Read the full article on AgWeb.com from Rhonda Brooks.
Major Merger to Connect Coasts via Rail… Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific Railroads are talking merger. The result would be the largest railroad in North America and would directly connect the West and East Coasts of the United States. Talks to merge the nation’s smallest freight railroad with the largest to create a transport juggernaut spanning the Continent began in the first quarter of this year and are ongoing.
But questions have arisen whether the Surface Transportation Board (STB) would approve the conflagration. Proponents point to STB’s approval two years ago of the merger between the Kansas City Southern Railroad and Canadian Pacific.
Under rules laid out in 2001, the merger must enhance competition and serve the public interest. Critics have seized on the shrinking number of North American freight railroads – now down to just six – warning of the dangers of consolidation in an already thin field of players.
Wisconsin Farmers head to Washington… Doug Rebout, president of the Wisconsin Soybean Growers, said there was a lot to talk about with elected officials. “Our main topics, of course, were talking about trade, the Farm Bill, and the MAHA report. Those were three of our big ones that we were hitting.”
While in D.C., Rebout says the group inquired about a new Farm Bill. “We did talk about the Farm Bill, I mean, stuff that came through in the big bill that got signed on July 4, there was a lot of stuff in there for agriculture, but there are a lot more things that need to be done, and the conservation programs are the big thing. So, we need to make sure that the rest doesn’t get forgotten, because all that is important to us,” Rebout Said.