Heavy rain is causing major headaches as June nears its end.

Luverne, Minnesota, has received 14.15 inches of rain so far this month through June 20, with 8.63 of those inches falling since June 13. The average amount of precipitation for the area is 4.57 inches for the entire month.

Some areas in northwestern Iowa saw 15 inches of rain during three days, said Paul Kassel, a Iowa State University Extension field agronomist based in Spencer.

The influx of torrential rain, particularly June 13 to June 19, has left crops in many areas at best water-logged and at worst drowned in standing water. Flooding was widespread in southwestern and south central Minnesota and northwestern Iowa, although other areas weren't immune to water problems.

"It was a lot of water in a short amount of time," said Liz Stahl, a crop specialist with University of Minnesota Extension based at the Worthington Regional Extension Office.

One good thing has been that many areas are well tiled, said Diane DeWitte, an ag production systems educator with Extension based in Le Sueur and Blue Earth counties.

"There are ways for the water to get away, but the ditches are full, too," DeWitte said.

Luckily, crops can withstand a couple days under standing water and survive relatively unscathed, with corn being more sensitive than soybeans, the Extension experts agreed. Being underwater deprives them of the carbon dioxide they need.

Plant survival, of course, depends on the weather cooperating and allowing fields to dry out. Warmer temperatures decrease the amount of time crops can stand to be underwater. If cooler temperatures prevail, crops could abide for upwards of four days, Stahl said. Smaller plants also tend to fare better than more mature plants. Crop producers will likely see reductions in stand and yield if a field is flooded more than four days, depending on how long the field is flooded in total, how long the water takes to recede and the growth stage of the plant.

Stahl hopes drier weather earlier in the season in southwestern Minnesota will help fields dry out quickly.

Unfortunately, water isn't the only problem facing farmers across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Strong wind brought down trees and blew roofs off buildings in some locations. Wind also took out three of the grain bins spelling out Janesville that had welcomed visitors traveling east into the south central Minnesota town along the old U.S. Highway 14.

Hail and wind damaged crops in spots here and there, with light damage in some locations and heavy damage at others, leaving producers to assess their stands and determine the best path forward.

The recent storms and additional rain have been particularly disheartening because this year's growing season had gotten off to such a good start, Kassel said.

"We had a good year going this year and it kind of changed," Kassel said. "It took the joy out of it a little."

Higher temperatures aren't doing already stressed crops any favors.

"It's tough when the weather's this warm for con and soybeans to thrive with that much water in the soil," said Joel DeJong, an ISU Extension field agronomist based in LeMars, Iowa.

DeJong's territory includes far northwestern Iowa, where the flooded Big Sioux and Rock rivers have been particularly destructive.

Now that the damage is done, producers are waiting for fields to dry out and rallying to assess their options.

Replanting corn for grain would likely be a gamble, with windows quickly closing on achieving maturity before the likely first frost. However, planting new corn for silage is still a viable option. Replanting soybeans should work out for most producers who need to do so, depending on how long before they can get in their fields. If producers replant soybeans, they should be mindful of the maturity date for the variety they select.

"The later we plant, the yield potential goes down on a daily basis," Kassel said. "Soybeans could have a pretty good crop yet. I'd certainly like to get those beans in the ground really soon and I don't know how likely that will be."

Crop insurance implications depend on the type of coverage each farmer purchased and the extent of damage on their farm, the Extension educators agreed. It is important to understand coverage when determining how to proceed in terms of keeping the crop in the field or replanting.

"The risk of replanting might be higher than the potential benefits," DeJong said. "Everybody's situation is a little different."

It's important that producers weigh the benefits, risks and costs of keeping their current stand versus planting new. The Extension educators recommend producers consider questions such as: How much of the field is compromised? How mature were the plants in the field? Could the yield from remaining healthy plants outweigh the yield of a replanted field this late in the planting season? What about increased disease potential? How long will it be before the field is dry enough to get into if need be?

Producers considering switching crops in their flooded fields need to be mindful of any restrictions placed on what they plant based on any treatments they've given the field, Stahl said. If a producer needs to scrap the crop in the field and it seems like other corn or soybean alternatives won't work out, it's important to at least plant a cover crop in the field to prevent erosion and fallow syndrome.

For producers who apply nitrogen after crops are up in the spring, assessing how much nitrogen plants have lost is another important step, Kassel said. Fields that are looking nitrogen-deficient may need another application.

Crop pest problems had been few and far between before all the rain came. The Extension educators agreed it was still too early to tell exactly what impact the rain may have on continuing pest-free or causing increased pest problems.

While the rain may have been a setback, all is not lost in the territory Kassel covers, he said. He reaches out to Dickinson, Emmett, Clay, Palo Alto, Kossuth, Winnebago, Hancock, Buena Vista, Pocahontas and Sac counties. Thanks to the strong start to the growing season the region had, "If the weather behaves, we're at least looking to have a good crop," Kassel said. "If things cooperate, we could have a heck of a crop."

It might be a big if, but here's hoping the weather cooperates.

Source - http://www.agrinews.com/