Rain too late to help drought-stricken crops

Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005

GRAND MOUND, Iowa (AP) -- A year ago, Dave Whitman's fields were lush and green. This year, the leaves on his corn and soybeans are curled and sickly.

His farm in south-central Clinton County falls in a band of extreme drought that extends from Peoria, Ill., into east-central and southeastern Iowa.

Rainfall in Clinton, Scott and Johnson counties between March 1 and mid-August was at least 10 inches below normal, said Harry Hillaker, state climatologist.

Whitman farms about 3,200 acres in south-central Clinton County with his brother, Wayne, their father, Ray, and Wayne's son, Mike.

Last year, the Whitmans had a corn yield topping 200 bushels per acre, and the family harvested 20,000 to 30,000 more bushels of grain than they had room to store. This year, their corn is producing small, skinny ears or none at all.

"I won't have any problem on storage this year," Dave Whitman said.

Rain fell last week across much of Iowa, in time to help crops in some places, but farm experts say rain coming in the last half of August is too late to help crops in many fields.

"You're going to get a significant yield loss," said Palle Pedersen, an agronomist with Iowa State University Extension in Ames. "Soybeans are hurting right now."

Soybean cyst nematodes, spider mites, soybean leaf beetles and aphids have attacked this year's crop, he said.

"All these things have a huge impact," Pedersen said.

It's a small area of Iowa that has been affected, but where the drought has hit, the impact is devastating.

"This is the driest we've ever, ever been," said Alan Tubbs, president of Maquoketa State Bank. "It's depressing, and there's nothing you can do ... It just reinforces the fact that we aren't in charge."

Gov. Tom Vilsack has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess drought damage in 20 eastern and southeastern counties.

Many farmers, too, carry crop insurance that will help cover expenses.

"I have crop insurance this year, so we won't lose the farm, but it's going to hurt," Miller said.

Virgil Schmitt, an Iowa State University Extension crop specialist in Muscatine, said some people are more discouraged than others.

"A good friend of mine said you can sure tell who has good crop insurance and who doesn't by their demeanor," he said.

The drought is likely to spread to other sectors of the economy, such as trucking and shipping.

"Obviously, if there's a smaller crop, and it has a financial impact on farmers, it will have a similar impact on ag retailers," said Tom Leiting, general manager of River Valley Cooperative, based in Clarence.

Dave Whitman said about 0.3 inch of rain fell Tuesday night on his farm.

"Just enough to make the weeds grow," he said, laughing. "When you're 15 inches short, what's three-tenths? The corn's pretty well shot."