WAVERLY—Many of Virginia’s corn producers are grappling with dismal harvests after the summer drought and tumultuous growing season.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service illustrates a bleak outlook for Virginia’s corn producers, with forecasted production down 41% down from last year. As of Sept. 23, 62% of the state’s corn is in very poor or poor condition, with 29% identified as ‘fair’ and only 9% considered ‘good.’

“It certainly has been a tough growing season for corn,” lamented Brad Monahan, a fifth-generation farmer who grows corn in Sussex and Surry counties. “It’s a below-average crop on yield and for the quality of the grain itself.”

Monahan said of the 12 years he’s planted corn, this has been the worst harvest he’s faced, with yields 30% to 40% below normal.

“We really needed an average or above-average crop to make it worthwhile and profitable,” he said. “Our input costs are at higher levels—we’re paying more for corn seed and fertilizer but the low price we’re selling corn for isn’t providing much relief.”

In addition to poor yields and quality, some farmers have reported issues with aflatoxin. Produced by mold and harmful to humans and animals, corn with aflatoxin above certain thresholds will be rejected by buyers.

While Monahan hasn’t been impacted “as bad as we thought it was going to be,” he said a local buyer in Waverly raised its aflatoxin tolerance slightly to accept more corn. They’re blending this year’s harvest with 2023’s to help farmers offload more.

The difficult season was driven by a combination of June’s severe drought that stunted corn growth, followed by heavy rains. Normally corn droops slightly, letting moisture drain, but “when it rained very rapidly, (the ears) outgrew portions of the husk and remained upright,” explained Accomack County farmer Matt Hickman.

“That allowed moisture to get into the husk and remain trapped around that grain, which causes the quality issues.”

Hickman said he also experienced losses on some corn varieties, but considers himself “very fortunate.” Thanks to his Eastern Shore location and mid- to late-summer rain patterns, he expects to pull through with average quality and yield on his other varieties.

“It looked like the crop was dead the second week of July, but some rain during late summer and early fall helped us a lot,” he said. “Things have turned out OK overall.”

Farther west in Rockbridge County, Russell Williams said from what those in his area experienced, he isn’t expecting a “bin-busting” yield once he starts harvesting.

“I have a lot of neighbors whose corn is very short and low yielding,” said Williams, a member of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation board of directors. “And a lot of people are using their corn for silage rather than saving it for grain. I’ve seen a couple places where people have actually mowed the corn and harvested it that way. It was just a total loss.”

Back in Waverly, Monahan, like many farmers, will be relying on crop insurance for some financial relief from the losses. While it doesn’t cover everything, it helps provide some buffer as farmers contend with the poor harvest, low corn prices and high fuel and input costs.

“It keeps us farming for another year,” Monahan said.

Media: Contact Monahan at 804-896-4192, Hickman at 757-894-1473 or Williams at 540-784-8498.