By Bryan Corbin, Evansville Courier & Press
INDIANAPOLIS - Damage to Indiana's farm crops from last week's severe flooding could exceed $840 million, the state agriculture commissioner said, with the central and southwestern parts of the state being hardest hit.
Statewide, an estimated 529,010 acres of corn and 485,084 acres of soybeans potentially are lost for the season because of flooding, or more than 1 million acres total.
"This will likely go down in history as one of the - if not the - worst agricultural disasters our state has seen," Agriculture Commissioner Andy Miller said.
State agriculture officials gave preliminary estimates Thursday of the farm impact of the disaster. Nine percent of the acreage planted with corn statewide was flooded, along with 9 percent of soybean fields.
Southwestern Indiana took a greater hit: 16 percent of both corn and soybean acreage was flooded there.
Total farm losses are estimated initially at more than $522 million statewide for corn, $297 million for soybeans and more than $20 million for wheat, not counting crop insurance, disaster relief or income from replanted crops, state figures showed.
Because it's late in the growing season to try to produce a crop by fall, it's unclear whether farmers who lost corn in the flood can replant with soybeans.
"If you have a corn or soybean crop that just kind of got wet, it may be OK in a week or two, it's just been set back," said Charles Hibberd, director of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. "If you have a corn or soybean crop that's been submerged for some period of time, it may not make it back." Torrential rain that dumped 11 inches on central Indiana on June 6-7 flowed downstream to Southwestern Indiana, swelling the Wabash and White rivers out of their banks and leaving many fields inundated.
Even after river levels dropped, the flood left behind unwanted reminders, including river silt deposits, topsoil washed away and fields strewn with debris. Erosion problems must be fixed in many instances before farmers can replant, officials said.
Illinois and Iowa have not released any damage estimates, but market analysts estimate as much as 16 percent of Iowa's corn crop has been lost.
Although few livestock were killed in the flood, their feed and drinking water may have been contaminated with floodwater containing pathogens or raw sewage, officials warned.
"As those waters recede, we're not sure of all that was in this water," said Dr. Bret Marsh, state veterinarian with the Indiana Board of Animal Health.
"As (livestock producers) restock these areas, they need to be aware and cognizant and watch their livestock as it goes back onto these sites. (The flood has) disrupted a lot of soil. There are organisms that could be in that soil that we have not seen in a long time that could affect our livestock species."
He cited anthrax, a bacteria that can infect sheep, goats, cattle and swine, that hasn't been seen in Indiana livestock since the 1950s.
Agriculture officials urged farmers to contact them quickly to explore options for help. Miller said most farmers have crop insurance as well as property insurance on their farm machinery, but if they can't get back into their fields, they could apply for federal unemployment benefits.
Owners of flooded farms also may be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance and U.S. Department of Agriculture emergency loans.
The state will hold three farm forums next week to discuss available aid and services such as loans, grants and land conservation programs. One is scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday in the North Knox High School cafeteria, 11110 N. State Road 159, in Bicknell, Ind.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.