Kansas: Farmers harvesting bountiful fall crops

State News

Discussion

October 7, 2008

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Tue Oct 07, 2008, 10:24 PM CDT

The Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. — Kansas farmers are well into their harvest of what is an anticipated to be a record corn crop.

Kansas Corn Growers Association spokeswoman Sue Schulte said Tuesday that corn growers are very optimistic about their yields and their crops.

“By all indications, we will break a record this year,” she said.

Among the pleased farmers is Ken McCauley, of White Cloud in northeast Kansas.

“The corn is excellent — the best ever, really, the best crop we have raised overall,” McCauley said Tuesday.

“We just had perfect weather,” McCauley added. “You are talking about a summer that wasn’t summer.”

This season, McCauley put about 80 percent of his fields into corn and the rest in soybeans.

He said his dryland corn is bringing in 200 bushels an acre from fields that produce 165 bushels in an average year. He has yet to cut his soybeans.

“This is probably one of the good segments of the economy in the country,” he said.

McCauley sold well in advance as much of the anticipated corn crop that he figured he couldn’t store on the farm, but the crop he is cutting now is so large he is now trying to decide what to do with the rest of it.

He mused that $4 a bushel would be a good price for corn today — if farmers hadn’t gotten a taste of $7-a-bushel corn this summer.

“The market told us corn is too high and we are having a reality check,” McCauley said. “I think some of the Wall Street issues are filtering through to the commodity markets.”

Schulte said several factors set the price of corn. The price typically goes down during harvest, but this season the economy may be a factor.

“One of the reasons for the increase in corn prices during the summer was the increase in export demand and that has dropped off a lot,” she said. “That is due to the economic slump we are seeing right now.”

The Kansas Agricultural Statistic Service reported Monday that 34 percent of the state’s corn crop has been harvested. About 10 percent of the sorghum and 21 percent of the soybeans in Kansas also are now in the bin.

“Grain sorghum is looking very good,” Schulte said. “I don’t think it will be a record crop, but it will be a very strong crop for us.”

Most of Kansas had good rainfall this year, with the southwestern and west-central sections drier than the rest of the state, Schulte said.

But even southwest Kansas, where much of the corn is irrigated, will have good yields, McCauley said.

“Everybody is living a lot easier this year,” McCauley said.

Text Only

State News

2.6 magnitude earthquake recorded in Oklahoma
The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 2.6 magnitude earthquake near Wellston in central Oklahoma.
No injuries or damage is reported.

January 19, 2011
Audit: $108,000 taken from Missouri Veterans Commission JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A former employee of the state auditor’s office embezzled nearly $108,000 while working as an accountant for the Missouri Veterans Commission, the state auditor alleged Monday.

Stacy Griffin-Lowery was fired by the Veterans Commission in March 2008 and pleaded guilty three months later to a misdemeanor theft charge. She repaid the state $17,665, the auditor’s office said.

But Missouri Auditor Susan Montee on Monday accused Griffin-Lowery of swiping an additional $90,192 by getting reimbursed for cash advances and purchases made on her personal credit card.
April 12, 2010
Race in Kansas’ 2nd District could heat up for GOP incumbent TOPEKA, Kan. — A conservative Kansas legislator said Monday he will announce in a few weeks whether he will challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in the Republican primary.

State Sen. Dennis Pyle’s actions in recent months suggest the Hiawatha farmer, who’s served in the Legislature since 2001, is running against Jenkins in the Aug. 2 primary. He set up a campaign organization in November and has a Web site featuring a brief video of him on his farm, asking viewers for support.
April 12, 2010
Oklahoma tea party leaders, lawmakers envision militia OKLAHOMA CITY — Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

Tea party movement leaders say they’ve discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force
April 12, 2010
Missouri: Senate panel cuts $500 million from proposed budget JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Senate committee declared Thursday that it has sliced more than $500 million from Missouri’s proposed budget for next year — meeting a target set by Gov. Jay Nixon to bring it in balance.
April 8, 2010
Kansas: Wichita-area casino in doubt after governor’s decision TOPEKA, Kan. — A proposed casino south of Wichita was in doubt Thursday after Gov. Mark Parkinson refused to grant its developers a regulatory reprieve. Partners in the $225 million Chisholm Creek project wanted to delay a state board’s decision on their plans.
April 8, 2010
Oklahoma: Groups oppose education spending initiative OKLAHOMA CITY — A coalition of business and labor groups said Thursday it will work to defeat a ballot initiative to dramatically increase spending on public education that coalition members said would devastate the budgets of many other state services and possibly force tax increases.
April 8, 2010
Missouri: Gov. Nixon affirms support for tuition freeze COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to sit idly while lawmakers consider whether to preserve a tuition freeze deal he assembled before the state’s dire financial status was fully known.
April 7, 2010
Kansas: Agency uses YouTube to illustrate road woes TOPEKA, Kan. — It’s one thing to hear about potholes and state budgets. It’s another to see how the two are connected. That’s part of the thinking behind a new video presentation on YouTube this week from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
April 7, 2010
Oklahoma: Pathologist says girl’s throat might have been cut OKLAHOMA CITY — A 7-year-old girl who was found dead in Oklahoma near the body of her suspected kidnapper likely died after her throat was cut, an independent pathologist said Wednesday, the same day the child’s funeral attracted hundreds of mourners.
April 7, 2010
More State News Headlines

City wants to buy weather radios for those without

State News

Search Results

Discussion

Kansas: Farmers harvesting bountiful fall crops

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Site Map

Contact Us