Rain spells likely disaster for Southeast Michigan crops

Farmers in Southeast Michigan are pretty certain they have a disaster on their hands from the buckets of rain that have fallen relentlessly since early May. But a federal disaster declaration can’t be declared until after the fall harvest and actual yields are known. In Monroe County, more than 12.5 inches of rain has fallen since early May on Doug Darling’s farm in Maybee. Conditions are worse in Ida, where farmers report more than 17.5 inches of rain since the start of May. The area’s average rainfall for the entire growing season is normally 19-22 inches. The massive volume of rain prevented many farmers from getting anything planted, including thousands of acres of soybeans. A good chunk of the soybeans that made it in the ground were drowned by the rains or are stunted in their growth. It’s too early to determine yield potential, but farmers won’t be surprised if soybean yields take a hit as a result. Corn is suffering from the excessive precipitation, too. Growers in the area have been unable to apply nitrogen—normally a sidedress application — to approximately a third or more of the crop. Consequently, farmers find sporadic corn growth amid drowned out fields. By mid-July, Monroe County producers would normally be close to wrapping up wheat harvest. With the rain this year, wheat harvest has barely started. “There’s a lot of farmers who are hurting badly and some of them have no crop insurance,” said Darling, a director on the Michigan Farm Bureau state board who inquired about U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance for natural disasters resulting from floods and other calamities.