Missouri continues to have the worst corn in the nation after a dry summer leaves 39% of the state’s corn crop in poor/very poor shape.

After a dry summer, Missouri corn farmers continue to struggle with corn quality as harvest continues and autumn begins.

With 39% of the state’s corn crop in poor/very poor shape, Missouri currently has the worst corn in the country.

Missouri corn progress and condition

USDA rated Missouri corn 15% very poor, 24% poor, 28% fair, 31% good, and 2% excellent the week ending Sept. 24, a minor improvement from the previous week.

While it’s been a tough summer for Missouri corn growers, at 28% corn harvested, Missouri is 2% ahead of the five-year average. At this time last year, 18% of Missouri’s corn was harvested.

Matured corn jumped up 16% from the week prior, with 86% of Missouri corn maturing as of the week Sept. 24. That’s ahead of the five-year average of 74%.

Estimated corn yields for Missouri

Ben Brown, a senior research associate at the University of Missouri, says that corn yields are currently estimated at 145 bushels per acre. Brown says this is 10% below last year’s 161 bushels per acre yield and 9% below historical trends.

Brown says that the estimated Missouri corn yields in early July were 139 bushels per acre, “signifying how big of an impact drought had this year on production,” he says. 

While this is the statewide average estimate, Brown says that northeast Missouri and west central Missouri will both likely see lower yields than that. Northwest Missouri should expect higher yields, though, Brown says.

Nationally, Brown says that precipitation over the weekend helped yields in some areas, helping corn in states like Illinois and Iowa rate higher.

Recent Missouri weather

A weather summary compiled by the National Ag Statistics Service says temperatures were 5.5°F below normal the week ending Sept. 24. 

In the same time period, precipitation averaged 1.11 inches statewide. That’s just 0.01 inches below normal. 

Maps generated by the Iowa Environmental Mesonet indicate precipitation departures as high as 12 inches over the summer months. 

The most recent Crop Progress report rated Missouri topsoil moisture 24% very short, 34% short, 42% adequate, and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 24% very short, 41% short, 35% adequate, and 0% surplus.

Latest Missouri drought conditions

A drought map published Sept. 21 shows nearly 11% of the state covered by D3 extreme drought conditions.

Just over 16% of the state reports D2 severe drought.

D1 moderate drought spans another 28% of the state. 

Nearly a quarter of the state is abnormally dry.

Almost 21% of Missouri is free of drought stress, an improvement from three months ago, when 7% of the state reported no drought.

Of the state’s 114 counties, 68 have USDA disaster designations.

A look at Missouri history

The National Integrated Drought Information System reports August 2023 was the sixth wettest August on record for the state. Records go back to 1895.

So far, 2023 is shaping up to be the 54th driest year in history for the Show Me state.

Source - https://www.agriculture.com