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The drought brings variability to MO harvest

A seed advisor for Beck’s says variability is a theme as harvest advances across northeastern and central Missouri.

Clarissa Cauthorn says corn yields range from 30 to 200 bushels an acre depending on drought severity.

“Some fields just missed pollination because of the year and timing,” she says. “We have to remember much of the state was in a D3 or D4 drought heading into July. That was when the corn was developing ear size, trying to process pollination.”

She says the drought has compromised corn stalk integrity and farmers should prioritize corn. Soybean harvest is still a few weeks away and Cauthorn says a rain would help that crop.

“Right now, we’re in a drier period, but not the amount of heat to move these soybeans along.”

Cauthorn says farmers should scout soybean fields ahead of harvest and know what diseases and pests are present. She says Sudden Death Syndrome, brown stem rot and a new pest called the Dectes stem borer are showing up in soybeans.