Central MN Farmers Weathering Drought Conditions as Best They Can

ST. CLOUD -- As Minnesota's drought continues, farmers are nearing the do-or-die point with some of their crops.

Nathan Drewitz is a crop expert with the University of Minnesota Extension Office. He says corn is shorter with some showing tassles and others aren't.

The same goes for soybeans as some plants are looking great with pods while others don't have flowers or pods and the leaves are turning.

The second cutting of alfalfa is finished with a lot of heat stress on the plants and a large reduction in yield.

But, Drewitz says an agronomist told him recently that it should be worse than it is. Considering the drought we're experiencing, things look better than they have any right to.

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Drewitz says any additional rain will help with increase bio-mass for silage but won't likely improve what is expected to be a large reduction in yields.

He says some insurance agents are starting to be contacted as farmers weigh what the future holds ahead of the fall harvest.