The Lansing State Journal
Rain brings some relief
to farmers
But concerns about corn, soybean crops aren't fully erased
By Sharon Terlep
July 31, 2001
A weekend burst of torrential rain brought some relief to mid-Michigan corn
and soybean farmers.
But Sunday's rain was too quick and too spotty to wipe out concern that the area's top two crops could shrivel in the fields. "We were getting to the point where it was getting real critical," said St. Johns corn and soybean farmer Larry Nobis. "Now, we just need some follow-up rains and we won't be in too bad of shape," he said.
This is a critical growing time for corn and soybeans, which combined bring in $80 million to Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. Farming experts estimate up to one-third of the area's corn could be lost without about an inch of rain in the next week. And soybeans could be in trouble if dryness continues into August.
The next rain could come on Thursday and again on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Highs today and Wednesday will hover near 90, though the humidity will make it feel more like 100 degrees, according to the weather service. Sunday's storm dropped more than a half-inch of rain in 70 minutes on Lansing - more than the area's total rainfall since June 21.
Some places in mid-Michigan received more than an inch of rain while other places such as Mason received much less. Delhi Township farmer Alan Garner measured 0.6 inches at his 3,000-acre corn and soybean farm. The rain helped, he said. But when it comes too fast, the water doesn't always soak into the ground to feed thirsty vegetation. "The beans were looking much, much healthier," he said. "But I don't know if it will help the corn."
Contact Sharon Terlep at 377-1066 or sterlep@lsj.com.
Publication
Terlep, Sharon, 2001, Rain brings some relief to farmers-But concerns about corn, soybean crops aren't fully erased, The Lansing State Journal, Tuesday, July 31, 2001
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer: Webmaster <gs-w-milns_webmaster@usgs.gov>
Updated On:
Monday, August 6, 2001
Privacy Statement || Disclaimer || FOIA
|| Accessibility
URL: http://mi.water.usgs.gov/drought/lsjdrought1.html/
Michigan