Rainy fall weather continues to hamper NEARK harvest

It's been a tough season for local farmers. Heavy spring rains delayed the planting of nearly every major crop in the area. A cool, damp September also slowed crop growth. Now, with harvest approaching and more rain in the forecast, farmers are being frustrated once more.

Corn has handled the less-than-ideal conditions pretty well for many growers. Total yields are expected to slip some, falling from 200-plus bushels per acre in years past to an expected 150-190 range this year, according to Clay County Extension Chair Andy Vangilder.

"We've had our ups and downs," Vangilder said. "Most fields have seen damage to their yields, especially those in sand."

Vangilder said the main thing growers are looking forward to now is getting their corn crops out of the field before more rains can cause further damage.

"Our corn harvest is about to wind down," Vangilder said. "While we still have several acres of corn out there, most fields have been harvested by now."

Vangilder said the delays in planting have pushed the harvest back, as well. During this time of year, most growers have already harvested their corn, with work usually underway on harvesting soybeans and rice.

"It's really tough for the guys who grow all three," Vangilder said of the delay.

The county's rice crops do not need any more rain.

Rice

"The more it rains on it, the more potential it has to shatter and fall out," Vangilder said. "At times, some of these storms we've had have led to the loss of up to 50 percent of our rice yields. We hope to get all our rice harvested before any more big storms have a chance to come through here."

Vangilder said farmers have been working hard over the past couple weeks to harvest rice, resulting in "decent" yields. While there has been yield loss to late-planted rice, the crops which were planted early have turned out pretty well for the most part.

Cotton

Vangilder said many cotton growers have been defoliating their fields over the past two weeks in preparation for harvesting. The late start for the crop has caused defoliating to begin with only about 35 percent of the bolls open, as opposed to the usual 65 percent. Vangilder said the cotton looks to be mature, with no anticipation of the defoliation hurting the crop's quality.

"Hopefully, the weather will straighten up after we defoliate," Vangilder said.

After defoliation, the crop will need about two weeks before the application of boll opener. After that, another 10 days to two weeks will be needed before harvesting can take place.

If the boll opener application is delayed too long, it could leave the bolls susceptible to rain, resulting in "hard lock" which damages the cotton quality and significantly hinders harvesting.

"Every time we get a rainy day, we lose yield," Vangilder said. "With the way things are looking, this is not shaping up to be a good week for us."

Soybeans

While this is usually the time when soybeans are harvested, all of the season's delays have had an effect on this surging crop, as well.

"We've harvested very few soybeans, but so far, the harvests have been good," Vangilder said. "Most of our soybean fields are in really good shape."

Vangilder said the late arrival of Asian rust has not had a strong affect on the Clay County soybean crops, but it can be found in most fields.

"We've had just a few acres affected," Vangilder said. "In that regard, we were lucky."

While it's not been easy, Vangilder said the overall outlook has been helped by the hard work of local farmers.

"We've got some of the best producers around here in Clay County. The fact that we're in as good of shape as we are is due to all the hours they've spent working. The weather wasn't on our side very much, but that's part of it."