(Lakefield, Mn.)– Tuesday’s rain came at a critical time for most farmers in the region. That word from Jim Nesseth of Extended Ag Services of Lakefield…
“A lot of areas were in dire need. They were starting to see some heat stress. In other places we were starting to see some cracking in the ground. And so just the timing couldn’t have been better and some significant amounts. I think an inch and-a-half to two and-a-half inches in a lot of the areas here in Jackson and Dickinson counties and as we move farther west I know there were some areas in that Magnolia area, Adrian area, that received up to about five inches. In talking to some of those producers, it seemed like the creeks didn’t really seem to rise that much and there wasn’t a lot of ponding, and so I think the ground was pretty able to absorb and take those higher rainfall amounts. So overall it’s really a good sign and I think it really sets us up for a potentially good crop.”
Some of that rain did come with strong wind, however. Nesseth says producers should be checking their corn fields for any signs of “green snap”…
“That’s one thing, we’ve had some tremendous, you know, really rapid growth here in the corn and soybean plants this last week or week to 10 days and so it’s probably a little bit brittle, so there is some vulnerability there. But I think what happens a lot of times when you have some good rainfall amounts, you know, that kind of soaks up the ground and you’ll see a lot of times where the corn will lean and maybe pull up the roots a little bit on one side. A lot of times if you just give it some time, corn is an amazing plant that likes to stand tall and proud and so it’ll kind of gooseneck and come back in height. So I think if we just give it sometime I think in a lot of these cases we’ll be okay as long as there isn’t green snap.”
Some additional rain chances are in the forecast in coming days but those showers and thunderstorms are expected to be of a more widely scattered, isolated nature.
