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Heat wave to hit Corn Belt, farmer already concerned about crop health

An extreme heat wave is expected to impact most areas of the U.S. Corn Belt this weekend and one farmer says that sets up a scary situation for his crops.

Randy Uhrmacher, who raises corn and soybeans in south central Nebraska, says drought conditions have already intensified after missing recent moisture. “There’s really no subsoil moisture to speak of to feed on. That’s going to be important as we get going into the growing season as the crops use more water.”

He tells Brownfield even though the crops will begin using more water in a few weeks, temperatures in the 100s and high winds could cause some top end yield loss. “Looking at the conditions that we’re going to have here, it’s like this isn’t doing us any good. Every day we have with extreme heat, that puts more stress on the crop and takes more yield at the end.”

The National Weather Service has posted an extreme heat warning for parts of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ohio and Michigan will be under an extreme heat watch. A heat advisory will go into effect for Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin.