AREA FARMERS ARE OPTIMISTIC OVER CORN CROP AS HARVEST KICKS OFF

After a summer of almost ideal corn-growing conditions, Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois farmers are ready to begin harvesting corn this week.

"Everything looks good here," said Ken Vowels, director of the Scott County Agriculture Stabilization & Conservation Service (ASCS) office in Benton. "A lot of farmers probably headed for the fields Monday. We're expecting a bumper crop of corn in Scott County."

Scott County is one of the largest corn-growing counties in Southeast Missouri.

"We have more than 50,000 acres in corn," said Vowels. "Corn is second only to soybeans in the county."

"The corn looks great this year," added Vowels. "A few farmers started harvesting last week, but the bulk of the harvest will get under way this week."

Vowels said that, with the exception of cotton, all crops look good this year in Scott County.

He said cotton is a "dry, hot-weather crop, and we haven't had that kind of weather." Scott County raises about 9,000 acres of cotton annually.

"At this point everything looks good for corn and soybeans," said Terry Birk, of the Cape County ASCS office. "But, it's still too soon to consider any crop made. The growing fields are looking good, but weather conditions for the next two months are still important."

Cape County farmers also are heading to the fields with their corn pickers this week. But the bulk of the harvest is still a couple of weeks off, Birk said.

"We're expecting good yields this year," he added. "We've had some ideal weather. Nationally, crop experts are expecting record yields in both corn and soybeans, and we hope to share in that prediction."

Birk said farmers already have been in the fields a couple weeks in the deep Bootheel area. "I was in Memphis two weeks ago and noticed harvesting under way in the Caruthersville-Hayti areas," he said.

Mike Blankenship of the Pemiscot County ASCS office in Caruthersville confirmed that farmers there started harvesting corn about two weeks ago.

"We've had some rain which kept them out of the field a few days," he said. "Hopefully, we'll get back to harvesting this week."

Blankenship said early harvests were producing some good numbers. "We have yields ranging from 130 to 160 bushels an acre," he said. "That's good for our area."

Blankenship said the Pemiscot County cotton crop also looks good this year.

"The cool days we've had recently hasn't hurt too much," he said. "At this point, we're looking for a better than average crop."

Two years ago, the Bootheel area had the best crop since the mid-to-late 1930s. But last year, the region suffered one of its worst crops on record. "We're hoping for a lot better this year," Blankenship added.

Pemiscot is one of the top three cotton-producing counties in the Bootheel area, with more than 75,000 acres.

"Dunklin County is always the biggest cotton-acreage county," said Blankenship. "It has more than 100,000 acres of cotton. Pemiscot and New Madrid each have about 75,000 acres in cotton."

In Illinois, Lorna Kirby of the Illinois University Extension office at Anna said farmers this week are preparing their harvesting equipment. "A lot of them were hoping to get in the field early this week," she said.

Kirby, who keeps tabs on crops in Union, Pulaski and Alexander counties, said optimism abounds for the corn crop.

"We don't have a large crop in our area, but it should be a good one," she said. "We probably won't set any yield records, but we're looking to sizable yields."

Kirby said the Illinois corn crop had to overcome a slow start in many areas, but 95 percent of the crop statewide now is in good condition now.

She said the soybean crop also is doing well, but that it's still a little early to predict yields for beans.

"The early-maturing beans here were hurt by the extreme dry weather we had early," said Kirby. "We had some rains here last week, but they were spotty."

Kirby said later soybeans might fare better. "August was the most critical time for the development of blooms and pods for the late beans," she said. "We'll probably have a lot of two-bean pods for the early crop.

"They were trying to fill during the dry period. Last week's rains came at a good time for the later beans, which need moisture when filling the pod, and we're hoping to see more three-bean pods."

Kirby said some sudden death syndrome in soybeans has been observed, which can cause serious problems particularly now, when the pods begin to fill with beans. "In some instances this disease can wipe out half of the crop," she said.