The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rainy spring diminishes harvest yields
The consequences of a wet 2019, especially early on, can be seen in corn and soybean output
The region’s agricultural production in 2019 is still feeling the troublesome effects of a wet spring.
According to the Lake and Geauga divisions of the Ohio Farm Bureau, the persistent rainfall led to a late planting start for many crops.
“Planting corn after June 15 or beans after July 1 is always risky as plants may not have time to mature,” Bureau Director Mandy Orahood explained.
She further highlighted that the issue was not the total volume of rainfall but the rainy, washed-out conditions from the rainfall that delayed fieldwork and the ability to get crops into the ground.
As of Sept. 30, the United State Department of Agriculture has reported that 67% of planted corn is mature. Only 33% of the corn crop in Ohio is rated good or excellent.
“Although we had a bad spring and planting was behind, on average crops have matured near the same rate as the last four years,” Orahood said.
Soybean production was not as steady as corn. OFB states 14% of the soybeans planted in Ohio have been harvested.
Of that, only 33% have been rated good or excellent.
“In terms of planting, Geauga and Lake counties hung around the state average or slightly above,” Orahood said.
“While the planting season was definitely not good for farmers in our area, it could have been much worse.
“Western Ohio remained way below the state average the entire planting season, and many remained unplanted.”
Rainfall has affected Ohio crops to the point that the USDA has declared a primary county disaster designation for 24 Ohio counties, including Lake and Geauga, “due to losses caused by excessive rain and flooding that occurred from Jan. 1 through Aug. 20, 2019.”
This came after Ohio Congressman Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, requested their assistance.
“Over the past month, these farms have been devastated by historic rainfall, flooding and tornadoes,” Joyce wrote in a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Purdue.
“If no action is taken to help them, Ohio’s farmers will face heavy losses and possible bankruptcy. Doing nothing is not an option.
“The economic strain, not just on farmers and their families, but on the entire community is simply too great,” he added.
In that same letter, Ashtabula County Farm Bureau member Jeff Magyar said, “At this point, we should have been able to harvest 87-90% of our soybean crop but as of this week, we’re only at 17%.
“Many farms will have little to no income with such a low yield,” Magyar added. “We need this disaster relief assistance to prevent irreversible damage to Northeast Ohio’s farming communities.”
An additional 38 Ohio counties were labeled contiguous disaster counties as were 11 out of state counties ranging from Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The disaster designation permits included counties to receive assistance from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, including emergency loans.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the initial issuance of the disaster declaration to apply for assistance.
“Although we had a bad spring and planting was behind, on average crops have matured near the same rate as the last four years.”
— Mandy Orahood, director of the Ohio Farm Bureau