Fifth state in a 12-state tour
By Andrea Gal
Managing Editor, Integrated Media
Farms.com
The Farms.com Risk Management team visited Kansas as the fifth annual U.S. Corn Belt Crop Tour continues across the American Midwest.
Moe Agostino, Farms.com Risk Management chief commodity strategist, highlighted a theme that has been common so far on the tour: “we have had a great start, some moisture and in some cases early planted (crops) but now…it’s gotten dry.”
“There is a lot of potential, but I think there has been enough damage and stress from the dry weather,” Agostino said. “Over the next month, it is still very critical that both the irrigated and the dryland corn get some moisture.”
Total 2016 Kansas corn acres were up in comparison to 2015. Total soybean acres, in contrast, were down slightly (by 1%).
Robert and Brandon Litch, farmers in Melvern Kansas, explained “we had an inch of rain the first part of June and since then we haven’t had anything. But there are areas around that get their spotty thunderstorms.”
The impacts on the crops are evident; Agostino noted the cracks on the ground and the corn starting to fire up from the dry conditions.
“Right now, we’ve got to get a rain to get (an) average” crop,” said the Melvern-area farmers.
Agostino ranked the Kansas crops at 7.5 out of 10, “just behind Missouri.”
So far, he still sees the Illinois crops leading the pack.
Be sure to check back daily as more videos from the tour are posted. The next stop on the tour is Nebraska.
Use the hashtag #cornbelt16 to follow the tour on social media.