Rain leaves crops in limbo

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 02, 2004 | by Bloom, Betsy

What could be the region's wettest May on record has left area farmers fretting whether they can get back into fields in time to finish planting or tend crops.

Most corn was in the ground before the bulk of the heavy rains arrived in midMay, area agricultural agents reported Monday.

But soybean planting has fallen behind, with as much as 30 percent still to be done. And the rain frustrated efforts last week to harvest a first hay crop at a critical point for cutting.

"It would just be good for people's attitudes to have about five days without any rain," said Steve Rischette, LaCrosse County UW Extension agricultural agent. "Let these guys get out there and get on their equipment and get a couple of days to get caught up."

With the soil saturated, however, it could be days - perhaps weeks, if rain continues before field work can resume in some parts of the region.

Most varieties of soybeans must be planted no later than mid-June to mature by fall, explained Vance Haugen, Crawford County UW Extension agricultural agent. He toured parts of the county Monday, and found a fair number of fields "unbelievably wet."

"Some of it's going to be iffy to get planted," Haugen said.

The 1.98 inches of rain

La Crosse received Sunday, plus another 0.10 inches Monday, pushed May's total to 9.73 inches, the most for the month since LaCrosse's National Weather Service office began keeping records in 1872.

Parts of other counties, especially south of LaCrosse, probably received more for the month, said Brad Adams, a NWS hydrometeorological technician in La Crosse.

Statistics for those areas won't be available until early next week, Adams said, but with communities like Lynxville, Wis., in Crawford County registering 7.5 inches of rain over a two-day period alone, "I suspect it's a very safe bet that there will be several areas that will report all-time record rainfall."

The deluge appears to have washed out or drowned young corn or soybeans already up in some Crawford County fields, Haugen said, Those sections will have to be replanted with a faster-maturing variety of soybean, which usually means a reduced yield, or corn intended to be chopped green for silage as animal feed.

The first hay crop is deteriorating as it continues to mature in the field, said Arden Hardie, agricultural agent in Jackson County. Dairy producers need high-quality feed for maximum milk yields, so might be forced to supplement. Last week probably was the opportune time to cut, but most could not get into the sodden fields.

"And the hay crop looks good. It gets to be a real frustrating situation," Hardie said.

Those that did try to cut hay last week didnt see much drying, Rischette said, and risked damaging the perennial crop in the process.

Still, even with the early set backs, the outlook for the rest of the summer isnt necessarily bleak, the agents said. Much of the corn was planted in late April, putting it ahead of schedule, which could make for good yields if conditions don't stay soggy.

"If it would get normal for a couple of weeks, dry down a little bit, we could have some really good potential," Rischette said. "Were far away from it all being lost."

Said Haugen, "People are in despair because of the rain, but if you talk to the old timers, they keep saying, 'Rain makes grain.' We still could be looking at some record yields ... if the got the crop in and it hasn't' been washed down to the Mississippi."