Reports on the fall harvest so far indicate the prolonged summer heat has shriveled production and profits for many producers in Marion County. The word is milo, soybeans and corn all seem to be down compared to most years, thanks to extended stretches of hot and dry weather. Across much of the Midwest, the drought is taking a serious toll-even more so than here in central Kansas.
Even though bushels per acre are down, fall harvest is a magical time. It never gets the fanfare that wheat harvest enjoys in summer. That's due in large part to the fact that winter wheat ripens at about the same time in a given area, and so everyone jumps into the harvest race at about the same time. Fall crops, meanwhile, vary in their readiness for harvest according to the kind of grain it is, when it was planted and the genetics of the seed. If wet weather intervenes, it's not uncommon for some fields not to be cut until the cold winter months.
If anything, this fall's dry weather-we've missed most of the rainfall amounts predicted by weather forecasters in recent weeks-will lead to an early finish to the harvest. A below-average yield will be one more economic blow for many producers, but in the grand scheme of things, we still have plenty of reasons to give thanks come Nov. 23. -DR
