ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Many parts of Illinois and Iowa remain in a moderate to severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. This month has been the 13th driest June on record for the Quad Cities.
As the potential for smaller yields looms large, the need for rain is becoming more prevalent for farmers in the region. One farmer in Rock Island County, Phil Fuhr, spoke with News 8 about the conditions of his soybean crops.
"It's going to be a stressful month for a lot of farmers," Fuhr said.
The high temperatures and limited rainfall are not a good combination for the sixth-generation farmer. At this time, Fuhr would like the soybeans to be near his knee or thigh. Right now, they sit by his calves.
"This soybean crop is much shorter than normal," the farmer said.
The good news is that soybeans are more of a late summer crop and can "hold on," Fuhr said. He is hoping that because of this characteristic of soybeans, farmers can still yield a good amount of soybeans at the end of the season.
With limited rainfall, pesky critters are rising as well.
"A lot of times when we get these dry scenarios, we're going to have more insect pressure," Fuhr said. "We're going to see certain pests, especially in our soybeans."
Soybeans are not the only crop being affected by the drought. Corn is a few feet shorter right now than it typically would be. Normally there is sub-soil moisture that corn's strong roots can rely on but even that moisture is not there this year, Fuhr said.
The farmer is hoping to not have to use his crop insurance but if adequate rainfall doesn't return, he might have to.
"We can still have a respectable yield as we get into late July, but we're going to need very, very timely rainfall," Fuhr said.
Corn is typically harvested in late September or early October. Soybeans are harvested just a couple of weeks after.
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