Some corn was curling, some was tasseling early.
With about half of South Dakota experiencing some kind of drought conditions, much of that concentrated in the southeastern part of the state, crops throughout the Mitchell area were beginning to show signs of fatigue, and farmers were keeping a close watch on their fields as they monitored the conditions.
Then a handful of timely rains fell, and many farmers could breathe a sigh of relief, at least temporarily.
“A lot more optimism,” Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau and vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the Mitchell Republic earlier this week regarding farmers’ attitude concerning the jolt of moisture. “Two and a half weeks ago we were just on the edge, and it was looking bleak.”
VanderWal, who farms west of Brookings and was accompanying American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall on a three-day visit to South Dakota , met with many area farmers along the way who said the recent rains had made a positive impact on their crops. While many were weighing the option of cutting corn for silage, the late June and early July rains staved off some of their worry.
“We started thinking about if we were going to have to chop all this for silage or what’s going to happen. Now it looks like we’re in pretty good shape, at least for right now,” VanderWal said.
The Mitchell area received about 2.12 inches of rain in June, which was actually down 1.39 inches from this time last year, but those precious inches were enough to boost the corn and soybeans from questionable to stable. Since Jan. 1, the Mitchell area has received 8.45 inches, which itself is 2.4 inches below normal.
But July has already seen good numbers for moisture. About 1.41 inches have already fallen in July, which is about 0.99 inches above normal.
Source: agweek.com
Photo Credit: istock-dusanpetkovic
Categories: South Dakota, Crops, Weather