The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Residents in the Heartland have been feeling the effects of the extreme warm and dry weather but for farmers, their livelihood depends on the weather.

This time period is crucial for farmers’ crops and rain is essential for the growing process.

However, when you get the heat we’ve had the last week plus the dryness in the soil, that is when the corn plant starts to hurt.

“This is probably that earliest I’ve ever seen corn tassel and put an ear on and it's normally just starting to tassel right now, just starting to shoot an ear, but we're way ahead.  We're probably two to three weeks ahead of time on this corn,” said Clark Yeager, farmer.

Yeager has been farming for around 50 years and said farming is always a gamble because of the weather and you can never predict what is going to happen from year to year.

“It can't get any better but the rain will -- what do I want to call it -- stop it from getting much worse but if we go another week without water this corn's not going to make much at all. We'll be harvesting popcorn with our combine,” said Yeager.

And even though the temperature has dropped since last week, a burn ban in Wapello County has been put into notice and will continue until the State Fire Marshal states otherwise.