Missouri's corn crop is heading for the combine early and its soybeans are turning fast under hot, dry weather that has pushed drought across the southern half of the state. USDA's Crop Progress report of 8 September rated 63% of the state's corn and 55% of its soybeans good to excellent, and the Crop Production report of 11 September forecast a corn yield of 181 bushels an acre, down from 185 in 2025, with soybeans unchanged at 50.

On those numbers Missouri farmers will harvest 628.07 million bushels of corn from 3.47 million acres, against 677.10 million bushels from 3.66 million acres last year, and 294 million bushels of soybeans from 5.88 million acres, up from 276.5 million bushels on 5.53 million acres.

The US Drought Monitor said moderate, severe and extreme drought had grown across south-central and south-west Missouri, where short-term rainfall and soil-moisture deficits kept building and an early-autumn heat wave was causing widespread agricultural impacts. Short-term moderate drought also expanded in the north-east. Its 10 September map put 19.3% of the state free of dryness, 47% abnormally dry, 17.8% in moderate drought, 9.9% in severe drought and 6% in extreme drought.

For the corn crop the rain no longer matters much. "Grain fill is almost complete or completed in fields in my area," said Jared Roskamp, technical service representative with BASF for Missouri and west-central Illinois. The heat had helped dry down corn and push soybeans to maturity, he said.

By 6 September, 99% of Missouri corn had reached the dough stage, 92% had dented (four points ahead of the five-year average) and 46% was mature against a normal 42%. Harvest had reached 14%, up from 5% a week earlier and well ahead of the five-year average of 6%. Roskamp said corn was mostly at black layer and a handful of growers had begun harvesting, though he had no yield reports yet. USDA rated the corn 2% very poor, 8% poor, 27% fair, 50% good and 13% excellent.

Soybeans were 21% dropping leaves, up from 6% the week before and against a five-year average of 11%. "The heat accelerated the rate of leaf drop in many of these fields and I anticipate the potential for the earliest planted fields to be harvested in the next 1-2 weeks," Roskamp said. The soybean crop was rated 4% very poor, 8% poor, 33% fair, 47% good and 8% excellent.

Missouri thus sits between the drought-hit Plains and the strong eastern Corn Belt: a slightly smaller corn crop on fewer acres, and a larger soybean crop on more. Reporting by Kacey Birchmier.

Source: Successful Farming