Crop Expert Says Lack of Rain, Not Heat is the Real Crops Threat

FOLEY -- The heatwave to start our summer has been impacting everything from roads to higher air conditioning bills. But, it doesn't have a University of Minnesota Extension Office crops expert concerned. Nathan Drewitz says the biggest problem is the lack of rain over the past 10 days...

The bigger concern right now is how dry it's been. We haven't had rain here, in you know, in a week-and-a-half or so now. We really need some rainfall and that's what we're waiting on.

Drewitz says it's a mixed bag for farmers right now. Some areas of eastern Benton County have had rain more recently, but if you go further west, it's been dry.

Irrigation can only do so much through an extended dry spell according to Drewitz and some corn may start "pineappleing". He says that's where the leaves curl up into themselves making it look like tiny pineapples.

Soybeans got a later start and missed out on some of the spring rain as well.

Drewitz says it's not time to panic yet, but if we don't get rain soon, things will get tough for farmers.