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Minnesota farmer says yields are “going backwards” because of dry conditions

Yield expectations are drying up in southeast Minnesota.

Blooming Prairie corn and soybean grower Brennen Toquam says his area has received barely an inch of rain since May 14th and crops are suffering.

“It’s not as tough as you would think it would look, but as we’re progressing along some of the lighter stuff is really starting to show some heat stress. So I do think we’re going backwards on yield so right now it’s just kind of a game to preserve what we can.”

Speaking to Brownfield while applying fungicide Tuesday, he said he’ll continue to invest in this year’s crop.

“When you’re getting this heat (and) dry weather, you shouldn’t walk away from a crop. And when we pull into that farm in the fall with the combine, I like knowing that we did everything we could to try and raise the best crop we could. And if mother nature deals us a bad hand, that’s the way it is.”

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows most counties in southeast Minnesota are in severe to extreme drought.