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Agronomist says there’s “extreme” crop variability in his region in the WCB

A regional agronomy manager says many farmers in the Western Corn Belt can expect a mixed bag for yields as harvest gets underway.

Scott Dickey with Beck’s covers parts of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. “We have some of our locations have come out in the low 200-to-230-bushel range in parts of Northeast Kansas.  We have some garden spots in the geography, but the biggest theme for west and south of the area I cover in Kansas and Nebraska is extreme drought.”   

He tells Brownfield persistent dryness dramatically impacted pollination. “We’ve had a lot of acres that have been baled or chopped this year.  We have lost some acres to the drought.  We talk about variably every year, but this year there is going to be a lot of extreme variability within the geography.”

And, Dickie says, harvest could be ahead of schedule. “I think in some cases we are probably due to drought causing some premature death in some fields in the geography I cover.  But, in the areas where we’ve had adequate moisture, it seems to be semi-on schedule give or take a few days.  But, overall, I can’t say that I would say it’s an extremely accelerated year.”

He says farmers should prioritize harvesting fields that have stalk quality issues.

Brownfield interviewed Dickie at 2022 Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE.