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Before replanting, assess risks and consult insurers

By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As farmers across Indiana and other Midwestern states were grappling with the consequences of a series of devastating storms, even agricultural experts were at a loss for words.
“This is so unprecedented that unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of good advice,” said Bob Nielsen, a Purdue University agronomist and extension corn specialist. The past few weeks, many Midwestern farmers with low-lying fields near streams and river bottoms have witnessed their emerging crops literally flush away with floodwaters. Others have helplessly watched their corn plants drown from lack of oxygen in ponded fields, a process that only takes a couple of days with current temperatures.
Stories about logs, trash cans, lawn chairs and – in extreme cases – cars littering crop grounds abound.
Even if the plants survive, being submerged in water puts them at risk for contracting a fungal disease known as “crazy top,” Nielsen said. Crazy top causes deformed tassels and ears, but rarely leads to substantial losses.
“It’s typically not a high percentage of the plants (that are affected), but it may occur. And you don’t know the disease is there until you see the tassels,” he said.
Once the ground is dry enough, producers will face the question of whether to replant and if so, whether to replant with corn, soybeans or even a forage crop.
“Begin to make plans for obtaining replant seed, and see what supplies are out there,” Nielsen advised. “Over the same time period, you need to talk to your insurance agent about crop insurance. Farmers are keenly aware of the calendar. It’s getting extremely late to replant corn, and it’s getting late to plant soybeans.”
Replanting corn in the northern two-thirds of Indiana is especially iffy, but there are some shorter-maturity hybrids that are still relatively safe to plant throughout the state.
There is little data available on yield potential for corn planted in late June, but Nielsen and several of his colleagues estimated the yield would be approximately 50 percent compared to corn planted in a normal time period.
Replanting with soybeans is also an option, albeit a riskier one, since previously applied corn herbicides may damage the bean crop. Nielsen also expected soybean seed to be in short supply, which would limit the growers’ choice of varieties.
“Let’s not go in with excessive tillage and let’s use shorter maturity hybrids,” he advised producers who plan to replant their crop. “Whether more fertilizer is needed is hard to tell.
“The thing I can say is that once the fields have been replanted, you need to monitor them closely. Whether they will possibly need a herbicide application will depend on the symptoms you see in the field.”
According to Purdue, about 69 percent of the corn acreage and 66 percent of the soybean acreage in Indiana was insured last year. George Patrick, an extension agricultural economist, said producers who face crop losses should work closely with their insurance agent before making any replanting decisions.
Farmers who haven’t been able to plant their crops on time or have lost already planted crops due to flooding may qualify for insurance benefits, provided that they’ve followed good farming practices.
“The claims procedures and documentation requirements need to be followed carefully,” Patrick said. “Failure to comply with procedures could result in insurance claims being denied.”
For more information about replant decisions and crop insurance, go to www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/cafe online.

6/18/2008