USA: Crop yield uncertainty looms as harvest approaches
Soybean
Maize (Corn)
Alfalfa
United States
Published Aug 23, 2022
Tridge summary
Harvest is approaching for Oklahoma summer crops, and fields are either looking really good or really bad with no middle ground, according to Oklahoma State University Extension crop specialists.
Original content
Overall yields for crops, such as corn, soybeans, milo and cotton, are projected to be lower statewide. “Even the crops that look good probably don’t look as good as they normally do,” said Josh Lofton, OSU Extension specialist for cropping systems. “We always have this heat in July, but this has been a long period to be at over 100 degrees and expect crops to be able to come out of it positively on the back end.” For corn fields, Lofton said the biggest problem with the heat wave was pollination. “Some of the corn in the state tasseled right before this big heat wave, and that corn is probably okay, but some corn tasseled during this heat wave, and that has left us with whole cobs of corn that have very few kernels on them,” he said. A lot of Oklahoma corn, especially dryland corn outside the Panhandle region, has been repurposed for animal feed. “Hay and animal feed stocks are low, so it’s good to have something, especially for folks who have cattle. It’s just unfortunate we are ...
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