November 10 – The fall harvest season comes to an end in Northwest Missouri.
According to local farmers, harvest is about 90% complete for most farmers in the area. Jerry Dishman, owner of Dishman Fertilizer in Helena, Missouri, said the two biggest challenges to this season’s crop have been weather and some early season grain elevator issues.
“Some guys who didn’t have as much storage space to begin with are still struggling to get the grain harvested,” Dishman said. “At the end of the season we are now almost two weeks into the rain, but I think with another big push everyone will be ready.”
The two main crops in the area are corn and soybeans. Most of the soybean harvest is done, even on larger farms. A percentage of the corn crop has yet to be harvested.
This is no small task. According to the University of Missouri, soybeans are the top crop in Missouri, both in value and number of acres. Combined, corn and soybeans accounted for the bulk of the state’s nearly $15 billion in agricultural activity last year.
Dishman, whose store has been part of the community for more than 70 years, said most people believe that once the fall harvest is over, everything and everyone rests for a while. However, this is not the case, as farmers have a variety of tasks during the off-season, ranging from soil sampling to equipment repair and purchasing.
“Everyone thinks that once the harvest is over, it’s over,” Dishman says. “But nowadays we just start the next season.”
He added that this means many of his customers have already started fertilizing and taking soil samples. This includes some who are still wrapping up this harvest season.
Charles Christian provides the evening news for News-Press NOW and is also an ordained minister at United Methodist Churches in Union Star and Helena, Missouri. Charles can be reached at charles.christian@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowChristian.
