Fall harvest almost completed

By Charles Christian

The fall harvest season is coming to a close across Northwest Missouri.

According to local farmers, the harvest is about 90% complete for most farmers in the area. Jerry Dishman, the owner of Dishman Fertilizer in Helena, Missouri, said the two biggest challenges for the harvest this season have been weather and some early-season grain elevator issues.

“Some guys who didn’t have as much bin storage space early on are still struggling to get grain harvested,” Dishman said. “At the end of the season, rain set us out for almost two weeks now, but I think one more big push will allow everyone to get done.”

The two major crops in the area are corn and soybeans. Most of the soybean harvest is done, even on larger farms. A percentage of corn crops remains to be harvested.

This is no small task. Soybeans are the top crop in Missouri, both in value and number of acres, according to the University of Missouri. Combined, corn and soybeans accounted for the majority of the nearly $15 billion in agricultural business in the state last year.

Dishman, whose store has been part of the community for more than 70 years, said most people believe that once the fall harvest is over, everything and everyone rests for a while. However, this is not the case, as farmers have a variety of off-season tasks ranging from soil sampling to equipment repair and purchases.

“Everybody thinks that when harvest is over, it’s over,” Dishman said. “But nowadays, we just start the next season.”

He added that this means that many of his customers have already started fertilizing and soil sampling. This includes some who are still finishing up this harvest season.