Rain bad news for farmers

May 27, 2009      Grand Forks Herald

Stephen J. Lee

May 26, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- PEMBINA COUNTY, N.D. -- Wayne Newell has about a third of his crop in on the farm he operates with his brother, Mark, southwest of Neche, N.D., along the Pembina River, still swollen from the spring flooding that has gouged roads and cut new channels, including one across Newell's pasture.

"It doesn't go south there anymore, it goes straight east," he said, pointing out the river's new route to a visitor.

He didn't mind giving a guided tour. "I've got nothing else to do," Newell said. After 2 to 4 inches of rain fell Monday across the area, Newell and his neighbors, already way behind normal spring planting schedules, were stymied again by waterlogged soil.

He has to drive six miles around now to get to one field because the half-mile route is unusable because of a flood-wrecked road. One of the culverts blown out by the flood's power can be seen lying in a field a half-mile away.

As far behind as he feels, Newell said he knows some farmers haven't planted an acre yet.

Already two weeks behind, farmers will lose another week of possible planting after Monday's rain, he said. It's nearly too late for some.

Federal crop insurance has deadlines for planting each crop; after the deadline, coverage is reduced 1 percent per day.

Deadline

The deadline for planting corn in North Dakota was Monday under the "prevented planting" aspect of crop insurance, meaning it's a little less desirable, a little more risky to plant corn now, Newell said. The deadline for sugar beets comes at the end of this week.

Like many, Newell was re-jiggering his seeding strategy Tuesday.

So, he took his stack of field maps into Roy Paton, his crop insurance agent at Citizens State Bank in Cavalier, N.D., "to see what he has planted, and what things he can get planted possibly and what he probably never will get planted," Paton said.

Many of his farmer customers have switched planting plans, Paton said. But if they already spread fertilizer last fall for an intended corn crop this spring, they can't just switch to beans on that ground because the fertilizer doesn't fit that crop.

Years ago, Newell quit spreading fertilizer in the fall because too often spring flooding forces changes on planting.

Newell figures he will switch from planting corn on some acres and put in soybeans or wheat instead.

"We've changed our planting intentions 10 times already," he said with a short laugh.

61 percent

North Dakota farmers had gotten in only 61 percent of their corn by Sunday, instead of the normal 90 percent by this time; 69 percent of their spring wheat instead of 94 percent in a normal year; only 27 percent of their soybeans rather than the average for the previous five years of 67 percent by the same date, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Barley, potatoes, dry edible beans and sugar beets also are well behind average planting schedules. But Pembina County, more northerly and wetter, is even more behind normal planting schedules.

There's still time to get crops in the ground, but not much, Newell said. "We are losing yield every day," he said.

He's heard some farmers planning ways to plant seed using the big fertilizer spreaders, and even contemplating that last and rare resort, aerial seeding.

Optimistic

Like all farmers, Newell remains optimistic. He's also pretty sure he won't get some fields planted this spring.

Especially a small one that curves along the sinewy path of the Pembina.

It was a corn field last year, and despite being a late crop not harvested until December, it turned out pretty good, he said.

But there was no time to dig under the stalks after harvest. Now, the field stands sodden, dotted with pools of water, covered in heavy mud amid choruses of croaking frogs, far from planting time again despite the soon approach of June.

Field work out for now, Newell will go to Plan B this week.

"I'll work cattle, give them some shots and stuff, work around the shop and impatiently wait for things to dry up like we've been doing all spring."

Spring seeding already is so far behind, Newell has a good idea already how his summer and fall will go, too.

"I don't know what August is going to be like, but I know we won't be doing much," he said about the certainty of a late harvest. "So, I told a friend we may as well plan to go to WE Fest this year. But it's going to be a hell of an October."

Reach Lee at (701) 780-1237; (800) 477-6572, ext. 237; or send e-mail to slee@gfherald.com.

Newstex ID: 35296339

Return to full Washington Letter