After a wet spring, a cool summer and now a cold, rainy fall, Missouri farmers need some warm, sunny weather for a successful harvest.

Missouri farmer Doug Wiesehan (Photo: Tom Steever)

Bill Wiebold, State Extention Specialist for soybeans and corn at the University of Missouri, says many crops were planted late because of rain-soaked soil most of the spring. Now, those plants are vulnerable to frost, which farmers are hoping stays away for a few more weeks.

Wiebold says another problem is that wet conditions have caused stalk rot in some corn crops. Soybeans, too, are suffering.

However, he says the crops are good this year … farmers just need dry conditions so the grain can dry out and so they can get combines out in the fields.

Many soybean fields were planted in mid July, he says, and a lot of corn in mid June. “Those fields had been negatively impacted and that makes them vulnerable to the frost,” he says. “Even if frost doesn’t come, there’s not much photosynthesis going on with the cold weather, particularly for late planted crops.” [Read more...]