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Missouri soybean grower on weekend rain

Several areas of the state got variable amounts of rain over the weekend but will it help soybeans? St. Louis County grower Warren Stemme tells Brownfield his area got an inch of rain during the weekend after five weeks of no rain and above 100 degree temperatures.

“I know the top end has been knocked off of them and in some cases they’ve been severely damaged (from the drought and heat) but we’ll just have to see. We’ll check ‘em in a day or two here and see how they’re responding.”  Stemme says plants had been aborting pods where pods developed or aborting blooms.

Stemme says even if the drought breaks, the effects will be felt for years to come, especially among livestock producers who are selling off herds to deal with the lack of feed and extremely high costs of getting feed.

“It’s going to take several years to rebuild those so I think we’re going to see it for a while. You know, It’s not just ‘hey, we’ve got a good crop’ next year and everything rebounds. I think we’re going to feel this one for a while because it’s SO widespread.”

He’s considering harvesting some of his beans for forage and says he’ll have to evaluate them over the next few weeks.

“I’ve got some that look very good vegetatively but they don’t hardly have any pods on them. So, before they start to trigger and turn, I’m sure we’re going to have to make that decision.”

Stemme’s been a member of the Missouri Soybean Association Board for 15 years.

AUDIO: Warren Stemme (6:00 mp3)