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Dry conditions, river levels among challenges this fall

An ag economist says he’s concerned about weather challenges heading into fall.

Jim McCormick with AgMarket.Net tells Brownfield weather can be a critical factor for commodity markets. “We are very dry right now,” he said. “I think rain at this point probably isn’t going to have a big impact on the crops, but it will have a big impact on the river system.”

He says he’s monitoring water levels along the Mississippi River. “The lower it gets, the harder it is to ship grain effectively, which drives up the price and could take away our price competitiveness.”

McCormick says levels are currently better than they were the last two years, but have been steadily declining this month.