As Hurricane Helene hit southeastern Missouri in September, Mike Bernard received a surprising call from a client in northeast Arkansas: soybeans were sprouting inside their pods.  

“I immediately drove to his farm, then to mine,” the owner of White & Associates–Bernard Crop Insurance and soybean grower from southeast Missouri said. “I found the same conditions in many fields that were ready for harvest. Then a few days later, mold showed up.” 

Over the following weeks, Bernard had crop insurance clients from five of the Missouri bootheel counties, four counties in Tennessee, and 4 counties in Arkansas reporting similar soybean crop damage. 

While the 2024 growing season began with promising weather conditions across the Midsouth, it ended with disappointment and financial strain due to drought, an untimely hurricane, and subsequent quality issues.

Pushing for perfection: Midsouth farmers were working to be on top of their game at #Plant2024. Yet, some of their earliest planted soybeans were a disappointment because of environmental factors completely out of their control. (Photo by Whitney Shannon Haigwood)

Concerns mount over crop 

Farmers began dialing University of Missouri State Cropping System Specialist Justin Calhoun’s number, voicing concerns over soybean discoloration, mold and sprouting in the pods, and shriveled beans with low test weights. 

Calhoun walked fields to investigate the problem. These quality issues persisted through much of the first half of soybean harvest, and he concluded the cause was environmental factors, particularly in the earliest planted soybeans.  

Related:Harvest in a hurricane: Tips for protecting soybean quality

While early planted beans are shown to improve yield potential, this year’s weather conditions set them on a collision course.  

“I would say at least 30% of the soybean crop was damaged,” he said. “A lot of our soybeans were planted during the early planting window, and it seemed like everything we planted early had some type of quality effect on it.” 

At the end of the summer, during July through August, a hot, dry drought period took hold of this region, causing shriveled soybeans and low-test weights.  

“For some of these earlier planted beans,” Calhoun said, “we were so far along in our physiological maturity, there was not enough recovery time after that drought for them to make up for quality.” 

Then September hurricanes settled in, first with Hurricane Francine. Later, Hurricane Helene dumped rain across the Missouri Bootheel. Calhoun said this magnified quality issues like discoloration, molded beans, and sprouting in the pods. 

The impact was felt by farmers all the way to the elevator.  

Price cuts for grain quality 

Given the damage to the soybeans, farmers anticipated some discounts but were surprised by the extent of the dockage. 

Bernard, who farms 4,300 acres of soybeans with his son, explained, “Some elevators even increased their discount schedules once the damage became widespread. This, to me, is the equivalent of going to the doctor, and during a procedure, he informs you that he is doubling his fee.” 

Willie Frazier manages the Neelyville Farm Center as part of Baltz Feed Company, which serves roughly 60 farmers spanning from the Missouri bootheel to northeast Arkansas.  

Early in the 2024 harvest season, the grain elevator saw deliveries of damaged soybeans. The loads came in with anywhere from 5% to 25% damage. Even on the low side, Frazier said quality loss was higher than in a typical year.  

“Usually there might be 2% to 3% damage, but it was much worse this year,” he said, noting it as the most severe soybean damage reported since 2009. 

He explained that at Neelyville Farm Center, any soybean delivery over 5% damage is subject to rejection. If the elevator accepts the load, farmers face dockage.  

For instance, if a load reaches 14% quality loss, the farm center docks 60 cents per bushel. For every percentage point over 14, there is an extra 10 cents docking fee per bushel.  

So, a truckload of soybeans at 25% damage calculates to a price reduction of $1.70 per bushel - a steep cut in an already tough year. And that is if there is only one fee. 

According to Blake Barlow, director of agronomy and research for the Missouri Soybean Association, some growers experienced an adjustment trifecta-quality, test weight, and splits. 

Crop insurance challenges  

As a federal crop insurance provider, Bernard understands firsthand the limitations of coverage in this scenario.  

Many farmers expected insurance to cover their losses, but the damage profile complicated claims.  

“If a farmer experienced the mold and damage, yet harvested a normal yield, then the farmer would more than likely not qualify for any federal indemnity,” he explained. “If the farmer had a yield loss and had damage as well, then an indemnity is more likely.” 

Bernard said payment depends on unit structure, actual production history, and level of coverage, but went on to add that “100% of my farmers have experienced loss, but very few will have payable claims.” 

Financial and emotional toll  

The devastation has been felt widely, with even some of the largest producers reporting steep losses.  

Barlow noted that farmers harvesting soybeans before the hurricane reported yields as high as 80 bushels per acre, marking one of the best potential seasons in years. But post-hurricane, farmers saw yields almost cut in half due to shriveled, disease-ridden beans. Given already low soybean prices, the timing couldn’t have been worse. 

“It's very disheartening for farmers,” he said. “They went into the season with such high hopes, with adequate moisture for the most part, and everything kind of aligned. Then just at the last second, to have something like this happen, it really takes the wind out of the sails, especially when prices are the lowest they've been in several years.”