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Soybean freeze makes harvest a bear

The University of Missouri’s extension soybean specialist says with reports of first damage all over it’s hard to predict what’s going on with crops. But, Bill Wiebold (wee-bold) tells Brownfield soybeans are especially at risk, “If these plants are killed by the freezing temperatures then they won’t really mature properly. The seed will stay green. The stems will stay green. The leaves will stay on the plant. And that makes harvest kind of a bear.”

Wiebold says soybean seeds will be smaller than normal and growers who’ve been through a frost or freeze should proceed with caution, “The other thing that sometimes happens is that people will look at the plants and they won’t look like they’re mature but the seeds are clearly mature and then we start the risk of shattering.”

Wiebold says corn is at less risk from freeze damage in Missouri but the dry weather in early September probably damaged some yield.