Wet weather continues to be the theme of this growing season, as parts of Indiana received at least 3 inches of rain during storms early last week. Some areas of the state have had rain this year at rates of more than 12 inches above normal.

“It’s just really bad,” said Gary Horner, Purdue University extension director for Miami County. “In a lot of low-lying areas, the crop is totally lost. Everywhere else, both corn and soybeans are stunted. Some corn may look normal in height, but there’s a lot of yellow-looking corn. A lot of it won’t do anything in the way of production.”

Horner and officials with the Farm Service Agency and other agencies have estimated losses in the county could approach 50 percent for corn and 30-35 percent for soybeans.

“It’s discouraging and depressing (for farmers),” noted Horner, also the county’s extension educator for agriculture and natural resources. “It’s just a hard time. It’s easy to say that next year will be a better year, but that doesn’t help now.”

Sixty percent of the state’s topsoil had surplus moisture levels, according to the July 13 Indiana Crop Weather report from the Great Lakes region of NASS.

Twenty-seven percent of the corn had silked, down from 38 percent at the same time last year. The five-year average is 40 percent.

For soybeans, 4 percent were setting pods, down from last year’s 16 percent and the five-year average of 7 percent. Thirty-two percent of the crop had bloomed, down from 51 percent last year. The five-year average is 40 percent.

More than half – 58 percent – of the winter wheat crop was harvested, down from last year’s 73 percent and the five-year average of 82 percent.