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Too little, too late
July rainfall helps alleviate drought but can’t fully restore region’s corn crop
| Story and photo by Allison Morgan |
8/1/2012 |
The short, stunted ear on this corn plant in a Franklin County field shows the ill effects of the hot, dry conditions that persisted through the crop’s critical growing period earlier this summer.
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The rains came — but too late for most of Tennessee’s corn crop.
As the state’s second-driest June on record met up with all-time-high temperatures, the prayed-for precipitation that finally fell in mid-July was welcome relief for growers who had been watching their crops wither, pastures deteriorate, and hay production halt. While the improved conditions brought renewed optimism for soybeans, cotton, and tobacco, which were rated in mostly fair or good condition by the latest Tennessee Agricultural Statistics reports, the hot, dry conditions had already taken their toll on the corn crop with more than half of Tennessee’s acreage in a heavy or extreme yield-loss situation.
“By the time it started raining, most corn was stressed past the point of help,” says Bobby Hooper, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative agronomist in northern West and Middle Tennessee. “We had our hottest, driest days during the critical pollination window, so many plants never had a chance. In my area, I think we’ll have 50-, 60-, or even 75-percent loss. After the rain, some corn is looking OK, but when you pull back the husks, it’s a rude awakening.”
However, Hooper says the mid-season moisture the area finally received has helped the chances for soybeans.
“Some soybeans have lost their blooms on the lower nodes, but they’re putting on new growth,” he says. “It’s definitely hurt yield, but we may be able to salvage a decent crop.”
On a brighter note, growers may benefit from record commodity prices, with corn and soybean markets pushed to never-before-seen heights because of the drought’s toll on the heavy crop-production areas of the Midwest. With the recent rainfall bringing some relief in Tennessee, many growers here have even opted to plant late soybean crops in hopes of cashing in on contracts that have topped $17 per bushel. Corn prices have also reached an unheard-of level of more than $8 per bushel.
But the yields growers will be able to harvest are still widely unknown since the extent of the damage won’t be realized until harvest, and dry conditions still persist in many areas. As of July 17, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that nearly all of Tennessee is in some stage of drought, ranging from “extreme” in the northwest and southwest corners to “abnormally dry” in some areas of East Tennessee. More than half of the state, however, remains in a “severe” situation.
The drought hit the livestock sector especially hard, stunting forages, cutting the hay season short, and leaving producers scrambling for options to feed their animals. As a result, some farmers are culling their herds heavier than usual and harvesting silage crops a month or two earlier than normal. TFC and member Co-op livestock experts have been working to offer producers alternatives to extend forages and feed more efficiently to keep them from taking more drastic measures, like selling off their entire herds. Recent rains, however, are helping pastures recover somewhat and brightening the outlook for cattle producers, says Dr. Paul Davis, TFC animal nutritionist.
“Back when it was 109 degrees and dry as a desert, I never thought it would be 72 and raining by mid-July,” says Davis. “The livestock industry is very important to our region, so our top priority has been helping producers stay in business. The rains haven’t brought everything back, but the grass is beginning to green up again in many areas. That’s a good sign.”
The University of Tennessee Extension Service also sprang into action, launching a website full of information to help farmers deal with the negative effects of the drought and heat: https://utextension.tennessee.edu/drought. The site also includes links to resources available from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, including a hay directory.
Federal assistance is also available to producers in 15 Tennessee counties designated as primary disaster areas as of July 20: Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Montgomery, Obion, Shelby, Stewart, Tipton, and Weakley. These contiguous counties are also eligible: Cheatham, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Haywood, Henderson, Hickman, Lauderdale, Madison, Perry, and Robertson.
USDA encourages all farmers to contact their crop insurance companies and local Farm Service Agency centers to report crop damage or livestock losses. More details are available at http://www.usda.gov/disaster.
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