News

Abandoning fields, Kansas farmer says harvest has been bleak

Corn harvest is underway for a Southwest Kansas farmer who says it’s been ugly so far.

David Schemm tells Brownfield he abandoned several fields and some yields have been in the single digits. “The fields that we’ve been looking at here initially have been only looking around 15-20. I think we have some other fields out there that might get 50 to 60, but again, we start to target 80-to-90-bushel dryland corn. We’re substantially off from what that typically is.

As for his sorghum crop, “I’ve seen a lot of fields of milo in the area that the milo did a great job of holding on, but eventually missed some rains. There are many heads out there on that milo, but there might be a few fields that do ok.” 

Schemm says some of his crop caught a timely rain in August. “A few of the fields did develop and push up a few heads so there are a lot of green berries.  For the milo, we need a little time on that and need that freeze to wait a little bit.”

 Schemm spoke with Brownfield at the 2022 Ag Outlook Form presented by Agri-Pulse and the Kansas City Agribusiness Council.