COLUMBIA, Mo. — Heading into typically the hottest time of the year, crops across the Midwest are battling drought conditions.
Farmers are watching as corn and soybeans struggle to progress and face potential yield loss with each week of hot, dry weather. The conditions also have farmers rethinking plans to plant double-crop soybeans after wheat.
In Pettis County, Missouri, Alex Schwinke says it is a tough call for farmers who had planned on planting soybeans after wheat.
“The ground temperature and compaction may be too high for the double-crop beans to get through the ground,” he says.
With corn tasseling in his area, Schwinke says farmers could use a well-timed rain to allow the corn to make good yields. He says his area has received some showers, but they were highly variable and overall rain totals are far behind the normal levels for this point in the growing season.
“We will take all the rain we can get,” he says.
Cattle producers are also struggling with dramatic reductions in hay crops and forage that is struggling. University of Missouri Extension agronomist Valerie Tate says hay is at a premium in her area.
“Hay fields that usually make 100 bales made 30,” she says of the first cutting of hay.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map released June 22, nearly all of the Midwest region was in official drought conditions or listed as “abnormally dry.”
Missouri was 70.32% in drought and 93.29% in drought or abnormally dry. Also, 43.4% of Missouri had reached level 2 “severe” drought, and 15.7% was in level 3 “extreme” drought.
Iowa was 83.02% in drought and almost all of the state, 99.4% was in drought or abnormally dry. Iowa was also seeing more intense levels of drought, with 31.74% in severe drought and 3.52% in extreme drought.
Illinois was 82.02% in drought, and 100% of the state was in drought or abnormally dry, with 30.67% of the state was in severe drought.
The drought is impacting crop conditions in states across the Heartland. According to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition report released June 26, Missouri’s corn crop was rated only 31% good or excellent, 44% fair and 25% poor or very poor. The soybean crop was only 32% good or excellent.
In Iowa, the corn crop was 56% good or excellent, 32% fair and 12% poor or very poor. The soybean crop was 48% good or excellent.
In Illinois, the corn was 26% good or excellent, 47% fair and 27% poor or very poor. The state’s soybeans were 25% good or excellent, 52% fair and 23% poor or very poor.
