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Recent rain shores up soil reserve for corn, soybeans
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By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter
| 07/10/2009 |
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If their crops escaped hail and wind damage, Lake County farmers could see major benefits from the thunderstorms that delivered several inches of rain this week.
Despite the proliferation of green fields so far this growing season, many parts of South Dakota were 3 to 4 inches behind their average for total rainfall since April. At the start of July, Madison was about 3 1/2 inches below normal for the growing season after receiving only 6 3/4 inches of rain since April 1.
Other cities and towns had experienced similar shortfalls, such as Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Vermillion at about minus 2 1/2 inches. Watertown and Pierre reported their deficits at more than 3 inches below normal.
Many South Dakota farmers needed this week's rain so that the moisture was saved in the soil and banked away for use, according to Paul Johnson, Moody County Extension agronomist. Corn, soybeans and other crops pull moisture out of the topsoil and subsoil during the hot and dry period that typically hits in July and August.
"With what (rainfall) we had this week, this area of the state should be in pretty good shape to make it through August," Johnson said. "That's because the subsoil can hold at least 4 inches of moisture for our crops to use."
The U.S. Drought Monitor managed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln had none of the state under drought conditions on June 30.
The Drought Monitor did show that three areas in South Dakota were experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions. The dry areas included the central part of the state along the Missouri River from Pierre south to Platte and a small northeastern region around Milbank. The third dry region included parts of Lake, Moody and Minnehaha counties.
Johnson said the lack of rainfall did show in Flandreau last week with some of the area's gardens exhibiting stress.
"Around the first of July, we were looking pretty dry and some brown was starting to creep into the gardens," he said.
Among the individual crops, 87 percent of South Dakota corn was reported as fair to excellent on Monday and only 13 percent was rated poor. Johnson reported that the average height of corn in the Lake and Moody County area was about 3 feet tall, behind the average of 3 1/2 to 4 feet for this time in the season. He predicted that the upcoming hot period of summer would help the corn crop catch up in growth.
Johnson said the state's soybean crop would also start maturing with the passage of June and days starting to shorten. He predicted that about 80 percent of South Dakota's soybean crop would be in bloom next week. Eighty-five percent of the state's soybean crop was rated fair to excellent with 15 percent reported as in poor condition.
Although farmers in the Lake County area plant relatively few acres of small grains such as wheat, Johnson said those fields look above average or better. He added that summer 2009 was excellent so far for growing hay, a plus for cattle owners.
"Volume-wise, we've got a very good hay crop," Johnson said.
In South Dakota at the start of July, 57 percent of the alfalfa crop was rated as good and 13 percent was considered excellent. Farmers were harvesting their second cutting of hay in 9 percent of the alfalfa fields and 88 percent had completed their first cutting.
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©Madison Daily Leader 2009
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