State agriculture director John Hagler is waiting to see how badly the summer drought will affect the various parts of Missouri’s agriculture industry.

Missouri Ag Director Dr. Jon Hagler talks to Missourinet’s Bob Priddy.

Missouri’s corn crop is about eighty percent harvested and Hagler expects the average yield will be about sixty percent of normal.   He doesn’t know how the soybean crop will do but he has his fingers crossed that it will turn out better than some disappointing forecasts.

Hagler says the drought has hit one part of agriculture especially hard. He says the dairy farmers have been hit with high feed costs and low product costs.  And he says beef cattle industry has been troubled by lack of pastures, hay, and silage. 

He says grass has “shot up” a little bit because of post-hurricane rains.  But he says farmers still need considerably more moisture for the fall pastures to recover before the first frost.

AUDIO: Hagler interview 4:45