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June 7 & 8 rain event causes $15 million in damage to area crops
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
Farmers in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa just can’t seem to get a break. Cold, wet weather had put the corn and soybean crops behind several weeks. The torrential rains, which hit the area June 7 and 8 have wreaked much more havoc to area crops.
According to a preliminary crop assessment conducted last week, the damage done to Houston County alone, will exceed the $15 million mark when between eight and 10 inches of rain hit the area over the weekend.
“There are many areas in the river valleys that will have to be replanted,” Houston/Fillmore Ag Tech Advisor Jerry Tesmer said Monday morning. “The rule of thumb is if plants are submerged for 48 hours or more, they’re done. That’s the case for much of the farmland along the Root River, as well as the Winnebago and Crooked creek valleys.”
The flooding issues weren’t just concentrated to the river valleys, however. Because the ground was so saturated before the June 7 and 8 storms, many areas that are not prone to flooding still have standing water.
“There are a lot more large gullies out there that weren’t there two weeks ago,” Tesmer noted. “We’re going to be able to see where more grass waterways are needed.”
Tesmer added that the problem in the deeper valleys is the water is just now receding, and the ground won’t be dry for a number of days. Then, the massive amounts of debris must be removed before any re-planting can be done. By then, it might be too late.
“The forecast for this week sounds ideal,” Tesmer pointed out. “We need a long stretch of warm, dry, windy days to get things dried out and give these plants a chance to grow.”
Pasture land and the fences that keep livestock in place also took a major hit during the latest rain event. Because pasture land is usually land that is too steep to farm, the amount of water erosion and damage to fences was that much greater.
Two weeks ago, Tesmer received a report from the Ag Reporting Station in Waseca that stated, “As of June 5 during the past two years, corn plants had seven leaves and stood two feet tall.” The veteran Extension agent didn’t think there was any corn in the county that was in that condition when the report was issued.
During a June 6 interview, Tesmer said, “we are really starting to lag behind where we’ve been the past few years, and the short-term prediction is for more of the same. If the farmers can’t get out into the field pretty soon to apply post emergence herbicides, they’re going to start seeing some yield losses,” Tesmer cautioned.
The wet weather has also played havoc on livestock farmers trying to put up their first crop of alfalfa. There’s an excellent crop out there, but just not enough dry weather to make it fit enough to harvest.
“There’s still some beans to be planted, and it’s getting pretty late with this the first full week of June,” Tesmer said during a June 6 interview.
“We’re going to need more than just a day or two of dry, sunny weather. Things are really soggy out there. A week would make a big difference.”
Tesmer did point out that the cool, wet weather has been very good for the oats crop. Unfortunately, not many farmers plant oats anymore. It’s also been very beneficial for both new and existing stands of alfalfa, and for pasture land.
“With all the rain we had last August, all the snow, and now the very wet spring, we certainly aren’t hurting for subsoil moisture. There are still some parts of the state where they really need more rain. But right now, we need some warm, sunny days.”
If the current weather patterns continue, root rot and fungus issues for crops, as well as yard plants and trees will become a problem. And, an increase in insect issues usually goes hand-in-hand with cool, wet weather,” Tesmer concluded.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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