Drought and extreme heat cut Kansas corn yields below expectations this season.

Paul Penner, who farms in central Kansas, says harvest results came in lower than he anticipated after a promising start to the growing season.

"Corn looked very good in the spring. We had really good potential. Ear counts were there. Ear size was there. Kernel counts were good," Penner said.

The outlook deteriorated as the season progressed. Penner points to four months of unfavorable conditions as the main factor behind the disappointing results.

"With four months of very subpar weather conditions, that potential just never materialized," he said.

The Kansas farmer says drought combined with extreme heat damaged the crop during critical development stages.

Despite the challenging conditions, Penner notes the harvest was still within the range he had projected, though yields fell short of what the strong spring growth suggested was possible.

The report from central Kansas adds to concerns about heat and drought impacts on corn production across the region this season.