By KEN de la BASTIDE, Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor
ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
With the recent run of storms and heavy rain falling across Indiana, it has proven to be a challenging start to the growing season for farmers.
In many fields standing water is preventing the corn crop to grow and delaying farmers from planting soybeans.
"There was a delay to the start of planting when rains kept farmers out of the fields," said Purdue agriculture specialist Bob Nielson.
He said the constant rains have put stress on the crops.
Even in fields, he said, where water is not standing, the soil is saturated, which places the root structure under stress.
Farmers need dry conditions with moderate temperatures, according to Nielson.
"It only takes three or four days of saturated soil to begin killing the plants," he said.
Nielson said it will take several days for standing water to recede and for soil conditions to dry to the point where the farmers can get back into the fields for replanting.
"It could be mid-June," he added, "that would be too late to replant."
Tony Vy, a soybean expert at Purdue, said in some ponded areas, soybean plants have been killed outright.
"The rains are certainly delaying the planting of the remaining soybean acreage and the replanting of damaged fields," he said.
The loss of soybeans depends on how long the seedlings are underwater. Typically the plant will die after four days of being underwater."
"The season began quite well, but then the ground became compacted and very hard," local farmer Dick Miller said. "The plants have been unable to break through the surface."
Several area farmers have already been forced to replant some fields in corn, Miller related.
"I was thankful for the rain, because it softened up the ground," he said. "The downside was low spots have standing water. We'll have to see if those areas will rebound."
Miller said most farmers try to have the corn and soybean crop planted before the end of May for the maximum yield.
"Right now the corn plants should be through the ground," he said. "The 90 degree weather is not a concern, as long as we get some rain every few days."
Miller said in some areas corn plants will be replaced with soybeans in the future if the fields don't dry.