News

Harvest results vary in the drought

Corn and soybean harvest results are mixed as drought conditions persist across Missouri.

Central Missouri AGRIService LLC General Manager John Fletcher tells Brownfield corn harvest is better than expected in Saline and Lafayette Counties. Both counties are in severe to extreme drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor map.

“I’ve seen corn yields between 130 to 250 bushels an acre,” says Fletcher. “Highway 20 between Marshall and Higginsville has had really good rains. They had moisture every time they needed it and they’ve got nice yields.”

He says no aflatoxin has been reported yet and corn harvest is about halfway complete. In Henry County, Jake Lewis with Farmers Elevator and Supply Company says farmers are just starting to bring corn to the elevator.

“Anyone who didn’t chop their corn into silage, due to the drought, is having trouble getting the crop to dry down and getting moisture down to where they feel comfortable bringing it to town,” says Lewis. “We’re seeing high test weights, surprising in a drought, and yield is all over the board.”

Lewis says he hasn’t seen any aflatoxin yet in the corn and early planted soybeans look good.

Soybeans in both areas of the state have a range of yields, from 30 to 85 bushels an acre.