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Missouri farmer reflects on challenging growing season, better than expected harvest

A northwest Missouri farmer says weather challenges were the theme of his 2024 growing season.

Nodaway County farmer Garrett Wood says it was the most difficult spring he’s ever experienced. “I’ve personally farmed for right at 20 years and it was really tough. We were super wet, then we turned off on a 40-day dry spell, then we got really wet again, and then another 42 or 43-day dry spell.”

But he tells Brownfield the harvest season was a pleasant surprise. “We came out with some of the best corn yields we’ve ever had. Then we had just subpar soybean yields. They were okay at best. We missed those August and September rains. That 43-day dry period was right when the beans were trying to fill out. It cost us some yield, but we probably gained it on the corn side.”

Wood says the harvest pace was faster than usual due to a string of dry conditions.

He recently made his comments on Brownfield’s Outdoor Adventures podcast.