HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) – Months of extreme heat and severe water shortages are having a harsh impact on the Kansas corn crop this year. Dryland corn crops are doing poorly, especially in areas that had virtually no rainfall during the growing season.

At Nickerson Farmers’ Co-op Elevator, manager Joe Schauf says the facility will be lucky to get half as much grain this year as what normally comes in.

A southwest Kansas crop consultant says this year’s production is even worse than in 1980 when there was record-breaking heat. Back then, farmers pumped a lot more water from their irrigation wells than they do now.

On the bright side, Schauf says the wheat crop came in around the five-year average despite the dry conditions.