“As corn never takes a break. It’s just hot all the time ‘: how American farmers have conquered climate change for a harvest of “monster”

This year is another story.

All summer long, he spotted brown and wilting leaves or corn ears with missing grains, and now it becomes clear that each nucleus will count this harvest. “It’s almost a little depressing to go there and watch it and say,” Oh yes, it looks bad “,” he said.

In the main states of corn cultivation, climate change feeds the conditions that make corn observation pushes a nail for farmers. Factors such as constantly high summer night temperatures, droughts and heavier rains than usual at the wrong time can all disturb the pollination of plants – which makes each ear full of corn less a guarantee and more a bet.

Overall, corn producers were lucky this year with weather conditions at the end of the season that have contributed to what should now be an exceptional record harvest. But experts say that episodes of time extremely intensify the waiting game for a critical period of the year between planting and harvesting.

Climate change of human origin has aggravated multiple extremely extreme heat events this year and has regularly increased the probability of warmer temperatures overnight since 1970, according to Central Climate, an independent group of scientists who communicate climate science and data to the public.

“The hot nights too, as corn is never pause. It’s just hot all the time,” said Rynd. “I know it is wearing me.”

How heat and excessive precipitation can have an impact on the pollination of corn

As a corn factory grows, the leaves take place to reveal the glans, the part that throws pollen, explained Mark Licht, an associate professor of agronomy and specialist in culture systems of extension to Iowa State University. If the plant grows too quickly, which can happen when it is always very hot, the glans can be wrapped too closely by the leaf, which means that less pollen is released.

This can lead to uneven corn ears. A tight envelope of the acorn has been reported in pockets in certain parts of the Midwest and the plains, according to certain publication reports of agricultural trade during the growth season. Licht said that he had not seen acorns that she was previously previously across the acorns in his 20 years as angronomic.

High temperatures can emphasize corn in other respects, reducing pollen production, reducing the viability of pollen or drying other parts of plants, which reduces fertility. “I think that all of the pollination problems we could have is more because the nights have been so extremely hot,” said Larry Walton, who cultivates near Rynd in southwest Michigan, where many farmers irrigate because it is a drier area.

“We tend to see pollination problems be more problematic when we have high temperatures and drought conditions or a lack of precipitation,” said Licht. However, Iowa has had a lot of rain and has still seen pollination problems. Excessive humidity can cause corn coal, a type of fungus that grows on the ears.

He said farmers had to pay more attention to this because “there is just a more variable time”.

Overall “monster” yield despite delicate weather conditions

This winter, the American drought instructor reported drought in almost 60% of corn production areas in the Midwest. But near or above normal precipitation, almost everywhere in the east of the Rockies this summer, brought this brought that at the beginning of August, said Brad Rippey, meteorologist of the American department of agriculture.

This, combined with coherent heat, means that “we expect an American corn monster in 2025,” said Rippey.

But it was not easy for everyone. “It was probably one of the most difficult seasons of growth that I experienced during my career,” said Philip Good, Macon farmer, Mississippi and president of the United Soybean Board. He planted his corn and soy 60 days late, because he rained almost every day for two months.

They lost fertilizers and plants died in the stagnant water, said Good, but they compensated with lucky weather later in the season.

“The rain falls into heavier gusts,” said Rippey. He said that it can be a problem for farmers, because even if it does not cause sudden floods, humidity does not necessarily punctuate in the soil. He runs away and transports fertilizers with him, which is a problem for health portfolios and rivers farmers.

The trend towards higher humidity levels and warmer ocean temperatures, contributing to warmer nights, could be a more important problem in the future, stressing crops like corn and soy, added Rippey.

Climate variability adds stress to a critical period for farmers

The end of summer is a brand period for farmers: they try to assess how much they will harvest the year and plan their next steps, and uneven pollination does not help.

“We would like to upgrade a tractor … or we might try to take additional ground,” said Rynd. “It is difficult to want to do these things when you have a bad year like this.”

When uncertain pollination is at worst, if 15% to 25% of each corn ear have no grains, this could mean a significant loss of yield on a large field, said Nicolle Ritchie, a popularization agent of the State University of Michigan who helps Walton and Rynd to investigate their cultures.

Jason Cope co -founded a farm technology company called Powerpollen whose equipment can mechanically collect pollen, then pollinate future crops. He said that due to extreme weather events, the number of “rescue” pollination work they have done for customers – to save fields that have not naturally pollinated – have almost doubled since they started in 2018.

Walton said he could manage as long as pollination problems are not too bad.

“You learn to ride with the stress part because most of this cannot control anyway,” he added.

The climate and environmental coverage of the Associated Press receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP standards to work with philanthropies, a list of supporters and coverage areas financed at AP.ORG.