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MU Extension Service Says Wheat Disease is Hurting Missouri Crops

Cade Cleavelin
/
KBIA

  The University of Missouri Extension Service says continued wet weather has led to serious problems in the state's wheat fields.

Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute director Pat Westhoff said farmers have had a hard time harvesting the wheat crop, and disease now is making it hard or even impossible to sell.

He said the Wheat Belt has been hit by vomitoxin, which in higher concentrations causes feed refusal and poor weight gain in some livestock. Vomitoxin levels are high enough in much of the affected wheat that grain elevators won't accept it.

Westhoff said making things even worse is that the large global wheat crop has kept prices lower than producers had hoped. The good news for consumers is that prices for wheat products likely won't go up.

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