Aug. 27, 2021
As Arkansas corn harvest begins, market prices see slight decline
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Early phase of state’s corn harvest on par with five-year average
- Slight decline of cash prices typical of market in season
- Most harvested acres at this point likely relying on availability of grain dryers
(608 words)
MONTICELLO, Ark. — As the high heat of summer begins truly pressing down on Arkansas, harvest of the first of the state’s major commodity crops has begun in earnest.
By Aug. 22, 9 percent of the state’s approximately 690,000 acres of corn had been harvested, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, placing growers squarely in line with the five-year average.
Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that most of what had been harvested thus far in Arkansas was in the southern half of the state, and mostly by growers with access to grain dryers.
“Most corn producers haven’t started their harvest yet,” he said. “But the corn that has been harvested is yielding good, according to early reports.”
Kelley said that more harvest efforts should begin soon, as grain moisture continues to fall and producers can transport and store the grain without the need for grain dryers.
Record rain and flooding during the first two weeks of June impacted about 30,000 acres of corn, resulting in a loss of about $60 million in revenue, according to estimates from the Division of Agriculture. While many of those acres were likely replanted in soybean, the late date of the flooding, relative to the growing season, made replanting in corn economically unfeasible for most growers.
Kelley said that as harvest efforts gain speed, growers are watching weather forecasts with crossed fingers. In late August 2020, winds and rain from Hurricane Laura pushed northward from the Gulf of Mexico, triggering Arkansas’ first tropical storm warning from the National Weather Service in history. While Arkansas growers escaped the worst of the storm’s damage, they were then bogged down by several days of rain, causing most harvest efforts to grind to a halt and caused considerable lodging and harvest issues.
In August 2021 alone, the Gulf has already experienced Tropical Storm Fred, Hurricane Grace and Hurricane Henri. While Arkansas growers haven’t suffered much impact from any of those three, it, as they say, ain’t over ‘til it’s over. As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service forecast that southern and eastern areas of Arkansas may experience wind and rain from Tropical Storm Ida Aug. 29-30.
“We just don’t need that this year,” Kelley said.
Declining prices
Both cash and booked corn prices fell gradually over the preceding week, with cash
prices ending Aug. 20 at $5.39 a bushel, and booking prices ending at $5.55 a bushel.
Robert Stark, agricultural economist for the Division of Agriculture, said a decline
in cash prices is normal as harvest begins.
“The current year crop supply becomes more certain as the crop gets closer to harvest,” Stark said. “This results in less speculative buying demand, and price tends to fall.
“Some buyers estimate that they have enough stocks on hand to last them to harvest when price would be lower,” he said. “These buyers drop out of the market temporarily, resulting in reduced demand.”
Stark said producers who have any remaining stock from the previous year’s harvest will generally want to sell it off as well to make room to store the current harvest as necessary.
Additionally, despite the increase in on-farm storage that Arkansas growers have accumulated over the last decade, commercial storage elevators and other processing facilities remain in high demand, Stark said.
“Producers may also need to convert their new crop stocks into cash for repayment of outstanding operating loans taken out prior to planting,” he said. “Each day that the loan balance remains unpaid results in additional accrued interest costs on top of the loan principal repayment amount.”
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Ryan McGeeney
Communications Services
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
rmcgeeney@uada.edu