Why soybean production is down in Kansas this year

MELVERN (KSNT)- It's peak harvest season for soybeans, but warm, dry summer weather is proving to be a challenge for many farmers.

There are roughly 16,000 soybean farmers across the Sunflower State, according to the Kansas Soybean Association. Adam Phelon, a farmer from Phelon Farms in Melvern, Kansas, told 27 News this year has been a struggle.

"Things aren't looking too great," Phelon said. "But luckily we have crop insurance that will help us mitigate some of those costs and some of our inputs we incur and are able to pay off because of insurance."

Phelon said the effects of this summer's weather have not only affected his soy bean production, but are impacting the market as well. Buyers like Cargill, who turn the soybeans into food and fuel, are paying more for soy beans this year since crop production is down, Phelon said.

Even though the price tag is higher than usual, Phelon said the profits from this year will still be low.

In addition to financials, he said the harvesting process has also looked different this year. Dry weather impacted the condition of the beans, and bumped up harvest by a few weeks. But now, Phelon said recent rainfall has affected the conditions of the ground, making it difficult to harvest the beans he has left.

"We've gotten seven inches of rain over the past couple weeks, and it's really slowed us down," Phelon said. "We're trying to find fields where we can go in and harvest, so we're taking those struggles on."

He says whenever there's a down year like this, they're already finding ways to bounce back the following year. Those at Phelon Farms are hoping to have all of their beans harvested by the end of the week.