Hoosier Farmers Assess Damage from Weekend Monsoon

“We needed some rain but not this much,” said one Indiana farmer about the storms that dumped from 1-5 inches of rain across the state over the weekend. Reports ranged from 1.7 inches in Davies County to 2 inches in Montgomery and Allen Counties, 3 inches in Newton County and parts of Howard County got upwards of 4 inches.  The National Weather Service reported hail and 60 mph winds in Hancock and Madison Counties Saturday afternoon.  In many of these fields, corn was just emerging and the pounding rain literally beat the young plants back into the ground.  Some fields with corn in the V4 and V5 stage saw the plants totally submerged under standing water.

“Fields totaling 800 acres were ugly, the east field was the ugliest. Whipping up whitecaps on the deepest parts,” reported Donya Lester from Montgomery Country, “Corn had come up beautifully, but was very small. Beans were just popping the last few days. No estimate on replant. Another 400 acres just north of that farm is saturated.” Miami County farmer Jeanette Merritt told HAT, “Our fields in Miami County had 2.25 inches. Some of our fields in Howard County had over 4 inches of rain.” As is often the case with Indiana rain, some farms got very little precipitation. Isabella Chism, 2nd Vice President of Indiana Farm Bureau, reported, “3.5 inches in northwestern Howard County. Water standing in places. Just 8 miles west of us only got 0.7inches.”  Jonathan Sparks said, “Anywhere from 0.7 to 2.75″ in Hancock County. Anywhere from no pounding to a lot of standing water.”

Most growers reached by HAT indicated replanting would be needed, but a full assessment would be made in a few days when things dried out. Lynn Teel, in White County, indicated some of the lighter soils could be ready to be worked or replanted in the next day or two. Generally, rain totals were less in Southern Indiana. Some growers in this area had just completed planting and were thankful for the moisture. Indiana Farm Bureau President Don Villwock posted on his Facebook page, “Mixed emotions in that we have 1 day of soybeans left to plant. But every acre that was in the ground needed a drink. Plus the farm team needed a break. I know some farmer friends got too much rain too quick and some didn’t get enough. So goes the life of a farmer.”

Overnight futures markets were generally unaffected by the weather, and corn and soybean prices continued to move lower. The market is convinced that there is a big crop out there and that this setback may not be enough to raise concerns. The weather forecast for the week indicates good drying conditions for much of Indiana. HAT Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin says, ” A dry week is heading our way. We see no rain in the forecast today through Friday. With temps warming, we should see decent drying. We look for max evaporation rates up to 0.25” per day. Sunshine will be dominant through the week.”