West Central Indiana crops are showing the affects from record-setting rainfalls in June. From Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome to ears of corn struggling to mature, local crop managers expect to see crop yield losses up to 50 percent throughout the area.
“My customers are coming in and saying they think they are going to have anywhere from 30 to 50 percent yield loss,” CERES Solutions Crops Manager Mike Carroll said. “Everything that is happening to the crops right now is a result of the abundance of water we got in May and June. The rainfall was devastating.”
The National Weather Service reports Indianapolis broke a 140-year-old precipitation record in July. Rains in June set a statewide rainfall record with an average of 8.99 inches. The previous record was set in June 1958.
The large amount of moisture is causing several problems. Carroll, whose office is in Wingate, said corn stalks will likely be more susceptible to wind damage.
“We lost a lot of the nitrogen that was applied to corn,” Carroll said. “Now with it being washed away, as the kernels start to populate, the plant has to rob nitrogen from the stalk. That means the stalks become weak and we could see a lot of down corn during harvest.”
Adam Beck, Montgomery County Farm Service Agency Manager, said too much water also has impacted the root systems of crops.
“Last year we had roots having to go down a foot and a half to find water,” Beck said. “This year the roots are shallow and that means the crops can suffer wind damage more easily.”
Small pockets of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome is not uncommon. However, the early timing of it showing up in local fields concerns Carroll.
“The disease actually effects beans early in their life,” Carroll said. “But, we normally don’t see the results of it until later in August. We have some fields already with the disease and it looks like it will be more widespread this year. The beans look healthy and then suddenly will die leaving the producer with no crop.”
Damage to crops across Indiana has state and federal office holders concerned. Governor Mike Pence and Senator Joe Donnelly have asked the U.S. Agriculture Secretary to declare 53 of Indiana’s 92 counties disaster areas because of crop damage and losses caused by flooding and excessive rain. Montgomery, Fountain, Boone, Putnam and Tippecanoe counties are included in the request.
Pence wrote in a letter to Secretary Thomas Vilsack that unprecedented heavy rainfall since May 1 has had a significant impact on the yield of Indiana crops, saying federal emergency loan assistance is “prudent and warranted,” saying the problem is ongoing.
Chris Hurt, a Purdue University agricultural economist, estimates corn and soybean farmers have sustained $500 million in crop losses this year.
Beck said his office has not been notified by the USDA about when it will act upon the Indiana governor’s request.
Source - http://www.journalreview.com
