HUMBOLDT — As a lifelong farmer, Curt Mueller is used to worrying about the weather.
2021 was no different.
It started with one of the wettest springs and summers in recent memory. From June through September, 10 inches more than normal fell in Iola with neighboring communities receiving even more.
The soggy weather threatened to wash away any hopes for a productive soybean harvest.
“It seemed like every time we tried to plant, it rained,” Mueller said.
But the rains subsided eventually, even though Mueller had to replant the soybeans a second time, a bit later than he originally wanted.
Those late soybean yields turned out better than Mueller had hoped, some producing as much as 35 bushels per acre, enough to make this year a somewhat successful one, Mueller said.
For comparison’s sake, Allen County producers averaged about 32 bushels per acre in 2020.
And while November (and now December) were nearly rain-free, the farm ground retained enough moisture to keep ponds full and pastures lush.
Now, he can focus his worries on other matters.
“It was a hard year, but it turned into a good year,” Mueller said.
Chad Guthrie, who specializes on agricultural issues for the Southwind Extension District, noted the fickle weather created a mixed bag for farmers, when it came to soybeans.
“We had some farmers who struggled, while others said they had one of their best years ever,” Guthrie said. “We had both extremes.”
“That’s just the nature of farming,” Mueller said. “Weather is always going to be a concern.”
With the beans harvested and the cover crops planted, Mueller can relax just a tad, for now.
The rainy start to 2021 was enough to keep ponds full through the winter, he noted, a boon for cattle.
And as the mercury drops, crops are less reliant upon moisture, aside from wheat growers who hope at some point for a good blanket of snow or two.
