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24 August 2023
TOWANDA, Kan. (KSNW) — The recent heat is causing problems for Kansas farmers. Many are expecting smaller harvests than usual.
The corn harvest is planned to happen within the next week. The soybean harvest is in about six weeks. Towanda farmer Jeff Varner says the above 100-degree temperatures are taking a toll on their anticipated yields.
“All the soybeans have really gone backwards, and it went from promising crop to we might get a few out of the field,” explained Varner, “We were thinking maybe 35-40, but I’m guessing we’re in the low teens now.”
It’s a change from recent years. KSN Agricultural expert John Jenkinson plenty of rain helped crops at the start of the season.
“In the early stages of the plant’s life, corn, sorghum, soybeans, the roots didn’t have to go down. They could just spread out nice and close to the top of the surface and get all of the rainwater they needed,” explained Jenkinson.
Then, the heat hit the harvest.
“These plants really struggled in the hot and dry weather because the root system was so close to the surface,” he added.
Varner says the struggle is mutual for many farmers. However, he was fortunate to get rain for his corn.
“July Fourth, we ended up catching about four or five inches here. But it was a very small area that did. And so, we will have corn on our farm,” said Varner.
He is expecting a yield of over a hundred bushels. The case is not the same for many others.
“You get five or six miles north of here, and their yields will be in the 60-70 bushel … and I’ve heard that from more than one guy,” he said.
Varner and many other farmers are hoping for some rain to help turn their crops into cash this season.
Jenkinson says some rainfall could save crops that were planted later on. But many of the earlier planted crops will likely not survive the season.