By JASON TIDD

Staff writer

Mild weather to start August could lead to a bountiful harvest, as long as rains follow.

“If we think about what mild temperatures do, things maybe aren’t burning up out there and we’re not losing as much moisture,” said county extension agent Rickey Roberts. “When we think about its impact upon the agriculture, certainly we’re going to call it a positive.”

Weather Underground’s website lists a high of 85 degrees for the first two weeks of August, with several days only reaching the upper 70s.

“When it stays triple digits every day, there’s just almost no way we can put enough water on that crop,” Roberts said.

The lower temperatures “buy time” until the next rain, he said.

“When you live in here in Kansas in July and in August, there’s a saying, ‘You never turn down a rain,’” he said. “It’s because you can’t get enough rainfall in our dry summer months. If it’s not 100 degrees, it buys us time until we can get the next rain.”

Roberts said he hopes the cooler weather improves crop yields, “but it has a ways to go before it’s in the bin.”

The months-long fall harvest of corn and beans from September to November is more prone to unknowns that could affect the crop. Wheat harvest in June and July lasts only about 10 days.

“In my mind, it’s a great, great thing for us,” Roberts said. “And in my opinion, I’m hoping its making our economy a lot of money.”

But he didn’t venture a guess at the effect on prices. “If I knew what it means for prices, I’d make a lot of money,” Roberts said jokingly. “I don’t want to ever try to out-guess the markets.”