Dry conditions were not a problem for most Midwestern farmers in 2009. However, there was a pocket of northwest Iowa that turned dry in July and August. Jim Stillman, who farms near Emmetsburg, Iowa, says it kept a very good corn crop from becoming a great one.
“We had the makings of a great harvest, but we were dry in July and most of August,” says Stillman. “I know there’s areas south of here that are turning out a lot higher yields, but we’re still real happy with ours—anywhere from 180 to 210 bushel corn.”
Stillman was also happy with his soybeans, which yielded in the 50’s. But he says the dry weather took its toll there as well. “We really could notice it in the soybeans—the pods at the top of the plant had down to one or two beans in those pods.”
As of Tuesday this week, Stillman had about 500 of his 1,400 acres of corn left to harvest.
AUDIO: Jim Stillman (1 min MP3)
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