Brutal Growing Season Could Affect MS Corn Harvest

“That’s an ear of corn, but it’s about three inches shorter than it ought to be."

It's harvest time in Mississippi but as MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports a rainless summer has left some autumn yields high and dry costing farmers thousands of dollars.

Most of Matthew Boyd's corn crop has shriveled up under this summer’s long dry heat wave.

“That’s a ear of corn but it’s about three inches shorter than it ought a be. Which that was from heat and the lack of rain too.”

The Rankin County farmer says because of the drought he's expecting only half his average yield. Houston Therrell with the Mississippi State Extension Center in Rankin County says the economic impact can be devastating for a farmer and his family. But he says it's equally sobering for all of the associated dealers.

“All the fertilizer dealers, all the seed dealers, the people that they turn a lot of money through in paying their indebtedness to them, they’re at a shortfall as well because the farmer just doesn’t have enough money as they once had.”

Over the past three years corn has replaced a lot of what was cotton acreage. But according to Erick Larson with the Mississippi Corn Growers Association farmers lack enough on sight storage to supply the market year round.

“Although we have a lot of animals, particularly poultry to consume a large of amount of corn during the course of the year. A lot of our corn is taken to elevators and actually shipped out and exported to other areas of the country and the world that can utilize it. And then corn is brought back into the state as need to feed our poultry.”

Farmers who can store their grain year round can not only supply the local feed market but also the local ethanol market. For MPB news, I'm Lawayne Childrey