On Sunday morning August 9, yet another severe storm with hail and high winds caused severe property and crop damage in North Central and Northeast Iowa. The hail trampled crops in fields in five counties along U.S. highway 20—from Webster and Calhoun counties, east to Hamilton, Hardin and Grundy counties. The storm trampled many corn and soybean fields with heavy damage and left many homes, businesses and automobiles with shattered windows.
Damage in Hardin County alone is estimated at $25 to $30 million—and that's a conservative estimate, says Darwin Miller, the county Extension agent with Iowa State University. The hail has been called the worst in decades in this area.
This weekend's hail storm left many Iowa cornfields devestated.
Miller toured a 25-mile long, five-mile wide swath through which the late-morning hailstorm moved in Hardin County, from southwest to northeast. Miller says the majority of farmers carry some form or hail or crop insurance, but a storm like this one means a year without profit or capital for improvements.
Crops this year are sheared off and shattered
"We had a tough year here last year with the floods and the late plantings, and our yields weren't as good as normal," says Miller. "This year everything looked so good until this hailstorm hit. We were looking at yields of 180 bushels or better on corn and 50 bushel per acre soybeans, until this happened."
The path of the storm stretched all the way east to Independence in Buchanan County. Farmer Chuck Walters who works 800 acres of his own east of Eldora and also farms for other landowners, says, "You can't see a tassel now. I don't think there will be much to salvage in many of these fields around here." He says until Sunday morning August 9, his corn and soybean crops this summer "were absolutely perfect."
Miller, the Extension agent in Hardin County, says some of the corn crop that is standing or leaning might be salvaged, at least for silage. But the soybean crop was too immature to escape damage.
This was the second major hailstorm to hit
Sunday's storm was the second major hail-related calamity to hit Iowa's crops this summer. Two weeks ago, on July 24, hailstorms hit approximately 400,000 acres in Allamakee, Clayton, Buchanan, Fayette and Winneshiek counties in northeast Iowa. ISU Extension field agronomist Brian Lang who serves this area says at least 10% of this damaged acreage has around a 100% yield loss.
Other recent storm events have left smaller pockets of severe damage across the state. For example, hail also hit some fields in northeast Iowa on July 10. "Hail adjusters are reporting that some of these fields have been damaged by more than one storm this summer and a re-evaluation will be necessary," says George Cummins, ISU Extension field agronomist at Charles City.
Lang, the ISU field agronomist at Decorah in northeast Iowa, has organized a website to help farmers make the difficult decisions resulting from the storms. "As we get later into the growing season, viable options are fewer and less desirable, in terms of what to do with these damaged crops," he notes.
ISU has helpful information available online
The site at www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2009/0805lang.htm includes information on assessing crop damage, emergency forages, salvaging hail damaged crops, foliar fungicide use, silage harvest and grain harvest issues. Additional articles on grain quality, control of volunteer GMO corn in a continuous corn rotation, equipment options and adjustment to reduce harvest losses have been requested. "You should contact your area crop, livestock and farm management specialists for additional assistance on hail-related issues and questions," he says. Farmers can also get answers regarding crop insurance and other financial issues--including assessing and salvaging hail-damaged crops in August—along with other information—at ISU's main Extension Web site www.extension.iastate.edu/disasterrecovery/info/haildamage.htm At that site ISU farm economist William Edwards has assembled helpful information to answer questions he's receiving regarding crop insurance. Also, he gives advice on how to price your hail damaged cornfield if you want to sell it to a neighbor for use as silage. Dale Thoreson, ISU Extension dairy, beef and forage specialist has guidelines for making silage from hail damaged crops. Crop conditions look good for rest of Iowa Meanwhile, the USDA weekly crop conditions survey, released August 10, shows the rest of the state generally has good crops and big yields looming for the upcoming harvest this fall. "Rain and warmer weather this past week was welcomed by farmers following a cool and dry July," says Harry Hillaker, state climatologist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. "Unfortunately another round of severe weather has caused crop damage, this time in central, north central and parts northeast Iowa." Temperatures have warmed up in time for the 2009 Iowa State Fair, he notes. Temperatures above 90-degrees F, something Iowa didn't experience much during July 2009, were welcomed this past week by farmers to aid crop development. However, the heat wasn't the only thing welcomed--as rain showers covered most of the state. Timely rains have helped improve Iowa's crops Central Iowa received some timely rain as crops were starting to show signs of stress from the prolonged dry weather in recent weeks. Isolated hail and damaging winds were reported last week with the heaviest damage near Eldora. Livestock struggled with the heat and humidity which were elevated. Farmers are continuing to scout for soybean aphid. "Iowa crop conditions have generally held steady or improved slightly as we enter the week of August 10," notes the weekly crop conditions report issued by the Iowa office of USDA's National Ag Statistics Service. Over 80% of the state's subsoil currently rates about 82% adequate and 10% surplus in terms of moisture. Iowa corn, bean crops are 78% good to excellent As of August 10, Iowa's 2009 corn crop was 97% tasseled, slightly behind the 5-year average of 99% tasseling at this time. Corn silked has increased with 91% of the Iowa crop reported silking, about 12% ahead of last week but 5% behind the 5-year average. Corn at or beyond milk stage reached 49%, which is 8% ahead of last year but 21% behind the 5-year average. Corn reported at or beyond dough state has reached 11%, which is ahead of last year by 2%, but 22% below the 5-year average. Overall, the condition of Iowa's 2009 corn crop is rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 16% fair, 50% good and 28% excellent. For soybeans in Iowa as of August 10, 95% of the 2009 crop has reached blooming stage with 78% setting pods. Soybeans blooming are 7% ahead of last year, but 1% behind the 5-year average. Soybeans setting pods are ahead of last year by 14%, but 4% behind the 5-year average. Overall the condition of Iowa's 2009 soybean crop rates 1% very poor, 4% poor, 18% fair, 52% good and 25% excellent, according to the weekly USDA survey.
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