This is a special version of Crop Talk focused on the recent severe weather that we have encountered over the past seven days. Within our areas we have had marble to quarter sized hail and rainfall totals above four inches in some spots. It is important to be patient following a hail storm and severe weather. Before making any decisions it is important to give the crop at least seven to ten days to recover. Plants are sessile organisms and can recover from environmental stresses. During this recovery period it is important to go out and flag a few areas affected by hail. Take pictures throughout the seven to ten-day recovery period of these flagged areas, this will help you to assess whether your crop is coping with the damage. Make sure you are documenting the date, the date of the damage, and location of the field. Following the seven to ten day recovery period, it is important to take several stand counts to assess your current population. My rule of thumb is to take one stand count for every ten acres of the field. To take a stand count in thirty inch row corn you want to measure seventeen feet and five inches and count both sides of the row, then divide by two. In fifteen inch rows use thirty-four feet ten inches and in twenty inch rows use twenty-six feet two inches to take stand counts. This will give you an estimated population for the section of the field. After determining your base population within the field it is important to record these values and for each field affected to look at the past chemical treatments used. The chemical program used controls plant back and weed management for the rest of the season, this may drive the next set of decisions that will occur. Before making any decisions regarding replant or management strategies, it is recommended to contact your crop insurance company and know all your options. Personally, storm damage is a difficult problem to manage, so I would encourage you to reach out to your cooperative, other farmers, local agronomists, and UNL extension personnel to talk through your options. To learn more about how to manage hail damage please visit CropWatch and Hail Know, both resources that can help guide decision-making (links are available in the Resources tab). If you would like to talk through or need help with taking stand counts I can be reached via phone at 402-563-4901, email at mtaylor42@unl.edu, or follow me on twitter @CropTalkMegan for up to date information.