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Heavy rain hurts crops
Published 10:24am Wednesday, June 17, 2009Crops in Otter Tail County, despite heavy rainfall Tuesday in many areas, are holding their own. Ponding, however, is a concern for many farmers, including farmers near Rothsay where 3.5 inches of rain fell.
“We need to see water dissipate as quickly as possible,” said Regional Extension Educator Doug Holen. “Long-standing water can result in severe crop damage.”
Holen farms between Dalton and Underwood where about 1.5 inches of rain fell. In addition to ponding, some farmers witnessed the toppling of hay and alfalfa. While many alfalfa growers previously completed their harvest, those who still have work to do will have harvest challenges following Tuesday’s rainfall, said Holen.
Rothsay Farmers Elevator General Manager Paul Jorgenson said farmers are keeping their fingers crossed so that his area doesn’t receive more heavy rainfall in the next couple of days.
“We need to see those ponds in the low-lying areas dry out,” he said. “After three or four days, with water still in the fields, it’s deadly for the crops if all of a sudden you get a 85-degree or 90-degree day.”
Jorgenson said many farmers in the Rothsay area were in need of rain, “but certainly not to the degree of what took place on Tuesday.”
Fergus Falls rainfall totaled 0.82 of an inch on Tuesday. The highest total in this area of west central Minnesota, 5.50 inches, was reported in the Barnesville area.
Wayne Nosal of J & S Farmers Mill in Barnesville said that no area roads were washed out, despite water running across roadways. Alfalfa damage is widespread, however.
The Barnesville area is similar to the Rothsay and Dalton areas where ponding took place. Water dissipation in the next couple of days is critical to the welfare of the crops, said Nosal.
