Drought could push some Iowa corn yields to 20-year low

Crop yields could hit a 20-year low in southeast Iowa.

Farmers say extreme heat and few rain showers are to blame for the severe drought.  In the Washington, Iowa area, much of the farmland turned from green to yellow to brown.  The lack of rain not only looks bad, but for farmers, it's drying up a big chunk of their bottom line. 

Over the years, Bob and Rob Stout have seen plenty of up and down weather like the recent drought. 

"There's no access water in the soil right now,” said BDKR, Inc.'s Rob Stout. 

Corn yields are at 160 bushels per acre instead of the anticipated 200. That's as low as the mid-1990s.

"They're not the size of ear we'd like to see; two-thirds to three-fourths,” said Rob Stout.

Smaller corn yields means fewer bushels and less money. 

"It's less that we have to sell to add to our bottom line,” said Rob Stout.

Perhaps the only bright spot: Stout says his soybeans should be fine because of recent rain just about two weeks ago. 

"They look pretty good, I think they'll be average, maybe above average,” said Rob Stout.

But the drought didn't spare livestock.  Their hogs haven't gained enough weight to pull in top dollar. 

"They didn't get as heavy because the heat really halted their weight.  We put sprinklers in their buildings and we tried to keep them wet, but they can only gain so much with the hot weather,” said Rob Stout.

So they're about 20 pounds light, making each one worth about $17 less. 

"It doesn't take very much loss in yield or hog prices to get into a loss position,” said Bob Stout. 

Both father and son say being farmers means expecting a roller coaster of success.  They say risk is just a part of the business.  Fortunately, the Stouts say this drought isn't as bad as what southeast Iowa farmers saw in 1983 and 1988.