For some Kansas corn growers like Matt Splitter yields are shaping up to be well above average this harvest, and maybe even a record – a welcomed change from the past two years, which were plagued by drought.
The central Kansas farmer says moisture at key times kept his corn crop growing early and then packing on test weight at the back end of the season. While he is grateful for the rains, he is ready for them to stop.
“We got another inch-and-a-half of rain, oh, two nights ago. So, we are picking around on some corn and trying not to get stuck,” says Splitter, a fifth-generation farmer based near Lyons.
After roughly 10 days of harvest, he estimates corn yields are coming in about 30% to 40% above his average production history (APH).
“Volume always wins,” Splitter says. “Prices are not great, but holy cow, we’ve cut more bushels in the first eight days of corn harvest than we probably have for the last two years combined because of drought.”
Record Harvest Projected For 10 States
The USDA September forecast for total corn production projects U.S. yields will come in about 13% above last year, with 10 states expected to see record numbers.
In Kansas, farmers are likely to harvest a yield range of 131 to 146 bushels on average, according to Greg Ibendahl, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University. He calculated the yield range in early September using U.S. Drought Monitor data.
Even with the extra bushels, Splitter is concerned they won’t be enough for him and other Kansas farmers to completely resolve financial shortfalls.
“If we’d have come into this year on an even keel, this season would’ve been a home run on volume, but I don’t know if it’s going to cause us to get whole again,” he says.
Splitter estimates he and other Kansas farmers would need double to two-and-a half-times the bushels he’s combining to regain their economic footing.
“Financially, there’s a lot of holes that people are going to have to dig themselves out of. And I just don’t think we can. I don’t think we can bushel all our way out of it,” he says.
Is Financial Aid On The Way?
The Trump administration is said to be preparing an aid package that would provide financial relief to farmers. Dollar ranges from $10 billion to $15 billion have been reported.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Fox News that “We will be announcing a program as soon as the shutdown ends on what we’re going to do in the short term for these row croppers, including our soybean farmers.”
Brooke Rollins: "Farmers just want to sell their product. They don't want checks from the government. But until we get there with all these new trade deals opening up markets by the president, onshoring our food supply for health reasons but national security reasons -- we will… pic.twitter.com/d00bTL7h8h
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 9, 2025
More than 200 state and national agricultural organizations sent a letter to President Trump earlier this week, saying many farmers need help now. To view the letter and those who signed it click here.
Splitter, like most farmers, wants the marketplace to reward him and other farmers for yield results and not a financial bailout. He adds that if aid does come out at the end of 2025, it won’t do as much good if he has to pay a huge amount of taxes on the dollars.
“We’re making decisions now to create income or mitigate losses, you know. There has to be something put into place where I can roll some of this into 2026, if I need to,” he says.
Hear the conversation AgriTalk host Chip Flory had on Wednesday with Splitter and Chad Ingels, Iowa farmer and representative:
