Fort Dodge Messenger, IA
09-08-07
Harvest poses unknowns for farmers
Rain creates conditions not ideal for fall tillage
By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby, Messenger correspondent
While August’s torrential rains left many flooded corn and soybean fields in their
wake, the total impact may not become evident until harvest or even next spring.
“There are a lot of concerns about nitrogen losses, erosion problems, soil
compaction and crop diseases, and we’re going to have to wait and see what
happens,î” said Mark Licht, a Carroll-based Iowa State University Extension
field agronomist who conducted a crop scouting workshop in Rockwell City on
Aug. 29.
“One thing that’s certain is that we won’t have ideal conditions for fall tillage.”î
Since combines and grain wagons have some of the heaviest axle loads of any
farm equipment, compaction will be a major issue in the weeks ahead.
“I’m discouraging fall tillage, because I don’t see how fields will dry up much
between now and November,Ӕ added Licht, who noted that heavy equipment on
wet soils can push compaction below 20 inches. “Even if you tried to use a
subsoiler, you wouldn’t have much left of your engine or much fuel left in the
barrel, because we just can’t go that low.”î
Nitrogen losses from August’s heavy rains remain a big unknown. In some
cases, there wasn’t a lot of extra nitrogen left after heavy rains fell in many parts
of Iowa this spring. The fact remains, however, that crops are not taking up a lot
of nitrogen at this time of the year.
“Excess rain will wash away nitrogen, so we’ll have to consider this issue pretty
seriously next year,Ӕ Licht said.
Disease risk rises for crops
While shallow, short-term flooding poses limited problems for crops, longer-term
flooding is a different story. With corn, which is now in the R5 dent stage across
much of the state, stalk diseases, lodging, ear diseases, molds and even plant
death can occur if crops remain in flooded soils long enough. If ears are
underwater, it doesn’t take long for damage to occur. This is especially true once
the water soaks through the husk, noted Licht, who added that west-central Iowa
is significantly ahead of normal on growing degree days for 2007.
This doesn’t bode well for many parts of northwest and north central Iowa, which
sustained another round of heavy rains on the evening of Aug. 28. Iowa State
University Extension’s Jerry Chizek, who serves as Calhoun County’s
education director, reported that ears of corn were submerged in water-logged
fields east of Rinard. The rains also hit hard on the western side of the county.
“It was just a wall of water, so there could be some big cuts in the fields,”î noted
Craig Hiler, who farms in the Rockwell City area.
Damage to soybeans will depend on how long the plants are under water. Plants
will die if they are completely submerged for 24 hours or longer. Plants which are
standing in water but are not covered could die after 48 to 72 hours, noted Palle
Pedersen, a soybean ISU Extension agronomist. In most of Iowa, soybeans are
currently in the seed-filling R 5.5 to R6 stages. This is the time when seed size is
being determined.
“Seed size is not a critical component of yield, however, and we’ve had very
good pod sets this year,Ӕ he added.
Due to the wet weather, the biggest concerns with beans right now involve seed
rot and seed quality. Excess water in the field can lead to stem rots, root rots and
moldy beans. “Since most of our research on flooding is from the spring, we’ll
have to wait and see what happens,Ӕ Pedersen said.
Understanding insurable losses
If your fields have sustained damaged, insurable losses may be covered under
multi-peril crop insurance, including Actual Production History, Crop Revenue
Coverage and Revenue Assurance. They are not covered under group policies
like Group Risk Plan or Group Risk Income Protection, noted William Edwards,
an ISU Extension ag economist. Also, excess moisture and flooding are not
usually covered by “add onî policies, unless the policy includes a greensnap
provision due to wind damage,” he added.
Indemnity payments are determined by final yields submitted, and yields are
averaged over all the acres in the insured unit. If corn is harvested as silage,
leave a check strip for the adjustor to determine the grain yield. If you have
severe losses from floods or winds, contact your insurance agent to arrange a
visit from an adjustor. Also take photos of the damage, and save samples of
grain if the quality is damaged.
“My best advice is to document your losses and hope for the best at harvest,”î
Edwards said.
While the 2007 crop year has been challenging, to say the least, area farmers
are trying to look on the bright side. “Hail is the one thing we haven’t had—knock
on wood,Ӕ said Tom Hiler, a Rockwell City-area farmer.