A storm on the farming community

The recent rainfall has taken the fields by storm. Severe rain and excessive thunderstorms have put a stop to field activity and even some crop growth.

“It has definitely put a stop to any field activities,” said Jim Stetson of AgView FS. “Anytime fields are saturated to the point where they have been recently, some level of nitrogen loss can be expected.”

Working with the AgView FS team, Stetson said he has had to work with farmers on finding a sufficient course of action to take care of any remaining field work.

“There was a little bit of corn spraying that was yet to be done, also some nitrogen sidedress that still needed to be applied for some when the rains came,” he said.

This, the corn growing and rows closing up, along with the heat which followed the rain, have caused some trouble for farmers throughout the area.

The general state of farming operations are all over the board at this point due to the halt of activity and problems caused by this weather, said Matt Denton, an independent seed sales representative for Pioneer and a fourth-generation farmer from the Illinois Valley.

“It’s a very interesting and trying time for farms in the area, ours included,” said Denton.

Possible low crop yields caused by the recent storms and the low price of corn are causing for a rough time in the farming community, he added.

He explained the cost of corn is lower than it has been in a long time. With the costs of corn so low, farmers are having to make every penny count. Denton said he understands there is a current stress on farmers caused by the economic recession and current weather conditions in the agricultural community.

The different areas are looking at various possible outcomes in regards to their crops and the right course of action moving forward.

The course of action moving forward is best left to the farm operator who knows what’s best for his or her area and his or her land, said Denton.

“Overall we have a great looking crop out there,” said Stetson.

However, some small pockets of replanting will be required. The optimum target yields will not be made in most cases, said Stetson.

In fields where rainfall has accumulated into field pools, crops will die if left saturated in water, he said. Replanting after the fields dry up may also be necessary.

In this area, replanting remains a point of conversation, said Denton. Unfortunately, Denton said he would not recommend replanting for yield purposes this late in the season, especially with corn.

The excessive rainfall has caused significant cosmetic damage where crops are more yellow and not the desired deep green, said Denton. Significant changes may soon be needed in the farming community, he added.

As all farmers know, unfortunately, there is no way to plan around weather conditions out in the fields.

“You can always try to hold off or speed things up, but those oftentimes turn into a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario,” said Stetson.