Inch Size Hail Damages NE Iowa Corn Crop

On Friday, July 24 a powerful storm rolled through 42N country around the Clermont, Elgin and Wadena area (42.839N and 91.652W.) Up to inch size hail, strong winds, and heavy downpours concentrated their destruction in this picturesque portion of NE Iowa in Fayette county. Damage photographed on July 26th shows how these elements wiped out much of the corn crop between Elgin and Wadena. Normally the corn is several feet high and has started to tassel. These damaged stands measured about three feet high and smaller. Click on the my photos above for a larger view of the crop's destruction.

With the warm temperatures today essentially drying the fields, the smell of fresh corn was all around like that of shucked sweet corn. This time however the stalks look like sugar cane stands with green bedding material on the ground. All of these green stalks will yellow in the coming days as farmers and landowners check their crop insurance policies and figure out how they will proceed for the season. Some farmers will have to determine how to feed their cattle with no corn crop available.

Just outside this roughly 80 square mile area damaged by the hail, the corn crop looks outstandingly wonderful as a result of timely water and low stress conditions. Know that.