Half way through a Michigan summer and farmers are saying the recent weather is not good for crops.
Farmers said they planted late this year because of a wet spring, and recent scorching temperatures have made it harder for plants to grow.
Paul Gross is an extension educator for the MSU Extension Service..
He said corn crops are taking a beating from the weather.
“Some of the corn has been hurt by the dry conditions,” he said. “I just don’t think it’ll recover to have an average yield.”
Gross said on a brighter note, wheat did well this year.
Farmers also said corn and soybeans are hurting more than other crops.
Randy Recker is a farm owner and operator in Mount Pleasant. He said he’s grateful that crops have adapted to survive in warm weather.
“If we had the genetics of plants we had 20 years ago, we’d probably have crop failure,” he said. “But with these new genetics, they can take more stress and drought.”
Recker said even though genetics helps, the corn and soybeans still need significant rainfall through the rest of the season for normal growth.
