Cold weather: the next big issue for the South

Frigid temperatures will move into much of the South starting Friday night, bringing risk for emerged corn and heading wheat. We expect this drastic weather shift to be the main topic when we make calls today and Friday for AgFax: Southern Grain.

One example: the forecast for Dyersburg, Tenn., calls for lows of 22, 21 and 27 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, respectively. Lows in the 20s are predicted at least into the northern sections of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and western portions of North Carolina and Virginia.

This follows a long string of days with highs above normal by as much as 10 to 15 degrees. The weather has pushed early planted wheat and also boosted corn growth.

Questions on ag forums since Wednesday have focused a good deal on what will happen to emerged corn. Midwestern growers with more experience dealing with late freezes, have given have painted a mixed picture. Whether a corn plant dies depends, in part, on where the growing point is. If it's below the soil surface, it will take more cold weather - lower temps and longer duration - to cause harm. If the soil is wet, that may help insulate critical parts of the plant, too, since it takes longer to chill water than dry soil.

To see our high/low temperature maps, click here.

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When T.S. Elliot wrote that "March is the cruelest month," this was the kind of March he had in mind.