Clemson Extension Specialist Explains Price Drop In South Carolina Corn And Wheat Crops

By Denise Attaway

A combination of markets and weather is a reason a Clemson University feed grain specialist says crop values for corn used as a grain and winter wheat significantly dropped from 2014 to 2015.

A report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for crop values in the southern region of the United States shows the value for corn in South Carolina dropped from $127,764,000 in 2014 to $96,720,000 in 2015. Winter wheat dropped from $54,912,000 to $33,488,000. Figures for the entire country show corn crop values dropped from $773,391,000 in 2014 to $447,680,000 in 2015. Wheat crop values across the United States dropped from 8,036,108 to $6,716,000.

Crops across South Carolina suffered major losses after historic rains drowned the state in October 2015.

David Gunter, a Clemson Extension feed grain specialist at the Edisto Research and Education Center near Blackville, said weather played a major role.

“The flooding from last October drastically reduced the wheat acres that producers were able to plant last fall,” Gunter said. “Depressed prices also played a major part in the decline of acres planted.”

In addition to the flooding, a drought before the storm caused major problems for the state’s grain crops.

A South Carolina farmer chops down his corn after his yield was declared too low to be worth harvesting after the drought of 2015.

“A lot of folks don’t remember, but we actually had a drought before the flood in October,” Gunter said. “This drought devastated our dry land yields and even the irrigated yields were off as it was hard to keep the crop watered with so many consecutive hot days.”

Winter wheat harvest in South Carolina begins in the latter part of May and goes into early June. If prices and weather cooperate, Gunter said this should be a good year for South Carolina wheat producers.

According to Gunter, South Carolina corn producers should be able to rebound from the drop in crop values if prices improve, if the weather cooperates and if they are able to get in fields that have been wet since October. Corn planting usually begins in early March in South Carolina.

To help minimize losses this year, Gunter said producers will be watching spending. Producers can also cut down on their losses by keeping a watch for diseases.

Making sure their soil has the correct amount of nutrients is another step producers can take to ensure healthy crops. One way to do this is to have soil tests done.

“Soil sampling is something producers can do to help ensure a healthy crop and help increase their profits,” Gunter said. “Results of soil tests will provide the information they need to put out the correct amount of nutrients the soil needs. Producers also also can spray fungicides when needed and plant their crops on fields where there is less risk and more potential for their crops to make high yields.”

Producers who need soil samples can contact their local county Cooperative Extension Office for sample bags, submission forms and information on how to collect soil samples. The Clemson Agricultural Service Laboratory is another source for information on a variety of analytical soil sampling services.

Source:clemson.edu