Ohio crop farmers started this year’s growing season dealing with an abnormally wet spring that has been followed by an unusually dry spell leading up to harvest time.

As a result, the quality and quantity of some crops could be reduced, according to agriculture researchers.

The April through July timeframe was the eighth-wettest such period
on record, according to Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Since Aug. 1, however, central Ohio, for example, has received 0.87 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, which is far below normal. The average rainfall just for the month of August is 3.74 inches.

There is little chance of rain in the forecast for the next week, according the National Weather Service.

Ohio’s staple row crops are already showing signs of stress, according to researchers at Ohio State. In northwest Ohio, corn is prematurely senescing, or aging, as a result of drought stress during the critical pollination and grain-fill stages, according to an OSU press release.

“I’ve observed tip dieback in corn, with missing kernels at the ends of the ears,” said Stephanie Karhoff, field specialist in agronomic systems with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. “Soybeans are also senescing early, which will likely reduce pod fill and ultimately lower yields.”

Progression of Ohio’s corn crop, though, is about average or even ahead of the five-year average, according to the latest crop progress report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The report, as of Sept. 7, shows 67 percent of Ohio’s corn is dented, which means it is nearing maturity, according to the USDA. That’s four points ahead of the five-year-average.

The amount of mature corn is in the historically normal range at 13 percent, which is the same as the five-year average, while 24 percent of soybeans are dropping leaves, 8 percent ahead of the average.

Topsoil moisture condition in the state, meanwhile, is rated as 28 percent very short, 45 short and just 27 percent adequate.

Specialty crop producers, though, are experiencing some challenges.

Logan Minter, CFAES field specialist for specialty crops, said the above-average rainfall in the early part of the season, followed by extreme heat, has resulted in shallow root systems in many vegetable crops, now leaving them vulnerable to the current dry conditions.

“Tomatoes, cucurbits, peppers and apples in northwest and southern Ohio are showing signs of nutrient deficiency and drought stress during peak fruit production,” Minter said. “It’s a double-edged sword. Dry
conditions reduce disease pressure from many plant pathogens, but they also limit plant growth and fruit quality.”

According to Aaron Wilson, state climatologist and field specialist with CFAES, areas in northeast and central Ohio are experiencing rapid moisture loss, with declining soil moisture and stream flows following weeks of below-average rainfall.

“We’re not currently near the severity of 2024, when parts of the state were experiencing exceptional drought,” Wilson said. “However, recent flash drought-like conditions — particularly in areas like Henry, Wood, Hancock, Coshocton, Carroll and Scioto counties — are a growing concern.”