Closeup of Corn SilkingA late August heatwave will send temperatures soaring into the 90s to around 100 degrees F across a wide swath of the Midwest. This follows a weekend where temperatures reached near 100 degrees F. This extreme heat is stressful for crops at a critical time when corn is in the final stages of filling and soybeans are in the pod-filling stages.

While corn kernels are unlikely to be lost to the heat, their size may be smaller. This could impact the USDA’s forecast of 183.1 bushels per acre for corn and a record 53.2 bushels per acre for soybeans. A Purdue University article, “Grain Fill Stages in Corn,” by Dr. Robert Nielsen, shares that kernel abortion is unlikely once kernels have reached the early dough stage. However, severe stress can continue to reduce kernel weight.

The NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasts the possibility of a drought forming in the Eastern Corn Belt and Mississippi Delta during late August and early September, which could further influence yields.

Read more on how the last August heat wave could impact yields here.