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Floodwaters, cool weather slowing Iowa crop progress

By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

DES MOINES, Iowa — Although most of the floodwaters have rapidly receded across the state, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said the historic floods and unseasonably cool weather are continuing to slow crop progress, despite some farmers being able to get back into their fields to replant.

“The flooding and wet weather continue to hurt crop development across the state and significant amounts of corn and soybeans still need to be replanted,” Northey said in his June 18 Iowa Crops and Weather Report, released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS).

“Drier weather this week will help, but with nine percent of corn and eight percent of soybean acres flooded, we still have a ways to go to get this year’s entire crop in the ground.”

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) last week estimated that floodwaters had claimed nearly 1.3 million corn acres and up to 2 million acres of soybeans in the state, or what is now forecasted as a 16 percent crop loss for the nation’s top grain and biofuel producer.

IFBF President Craig Lang said Iowa’s unprecedented crop loss would translate into about $3 billion, which doesn’t include production from replanting or future losses of crops that have already been planted.

“The devastation is unbelievable,” said Lang, who toured the state’s flooded fields with Lt. Gov. Patty Judge and nine agricultural officials by helicopter.

Lang added that Iowa livestock producers would also suffer an additional $500 million loss in feed, which will result in “increased prices in pork, beef and milk for consumers at the grocery store in the next six months to a year from now.”

Jim Fawcett, Iowa State University extension field agronomist in Iowa City – which, like Cedar Rapids, has also been severely deluged – said the heavy rains and flooding in his seven eastern Iowa counties have further delayed planting and have flooded already-planted fields.

“About five percent of the corn and 30 percent of the soybeans still have not been planted in eastern Iowa,” he said. “Corn and soybeans can survive one to two days underwater, and sometimes longer. When the field is dry enough to do anything, it will be obvious whether the crop has survived.”

The NASS report reflected Iowa’s corn crop is currently 95 percent emerged, compared to the five-year average of 100 percent; flooded corn acreage rated 9 percent and corn replanted or to be replanted, at 8 percent.

The report also stated Iowa soybeans are now 88 percent planted, which is 11 percentage points behind last year and 12 behind the five-year average. Moreover, soybeans are 77 percent emerged, which is 19 percentage points behind last year; soybeans that have been replanted or are to be replanted are now 9 percent.

Kyle Jensen, ISU extension field agronomist in Lewis, said farmers have already started replanting in his nine-county area. “It may take a while for the wettest spots to dry or to even get the water off of them,” he said. ”Some sand dunes (are) out in the bottoms from the waters out of the banks.”

Virgil Schmitt, ISU Extension field agronomist in Muscatine, said crops in his central Iowa area are slow and behind, but have good potential if the weather holds out this summer.

“We have some, generally, fairly small areas where ponding has either prevented planting or where planting has not occurred,” he said. “For the acres where plants are surviving, keep the faith and do everything possible to nurture those plants through the rest of the season.”

But Northey said flooding along creeks and rivers has caused an indeterminate amount of soil and crop erosion, with yellowing and stunting occurring in the corn crop. Fawcett said many fields have areas where corn looks yellow, especially where it was planted on corn ground, with soybeans also showing some signs of seedling disease as floodwaters recede from fields.

“Chances are, some of the poor-looking corn is due to the roots not yet reaching the nitrogen zone, due to the cool, wet conditions, and the corn appearance will improve with a week of warm, dry weather,” Fawcett said.

“Nitrogen supplies are limited this year, so growers need to work with their suppliers.”

After mid-June, he said it’s preferable to switch from planting corn to soybeans, as long as there haven’t been herbicides already applied that would prohibit planting soybeans. “Some farmers already have applied nitrogen for the corn, so are hesitant to plant soybeans,” he said. “Although soybeans do not need the nitrogen, it will not harm the soybeans.”

Another option is allocating unused government land in Iowa. According to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), about 1.8 million acres in a wildlife habitat as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are currently sitting idle in Iowa. In a June 13 letter, Grassley asked USDA Secretary Ed Schafer to allow landowners to remove land from the CRP program without penalty and plant soybeans, sorghum, milo or hay.

“This will allow new feedstocks to be grown this year, relieving pressure from our already strained row crop acres planted or still under water,” Grassley wrote.

To date, the CRP has allowed Iowa farmers whose pastures have been flooded to move their cattle temporarily for grazing to grassland enrolled in the program. For some Iowa farmers, however, Fawcett said insurance options are becoming the most important consideration at this time.

“Close to 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres are covered by insurance in Iowa,” he said. “If corn is not planted by June 25, crop producers can take the ‘prevented planting’ option that pays 60 percent of the original guarantee. After July 10, growers can take the prevented planting option for soybeans.”

Despite recent poor weather conditions, Northey said well-drained and unaffected soil and crop areas continue steady progress.

6/25/2008