MONROE - More rain in the forecast could make things worse for some farmers.
"Low lying fields are saturated, and standing water results in a loss of crops," said Mark Mayer, Green County's UW-Extension agriculture agent. "But (the rain) has been good, even ideal, for uplands and well-draining soils."
Crops can survive in standing water for up to 24 hours, but then begin to die, with total loss after 48 hours, Mayer said.
Troy Bader, a partner at Carrousel Farms, W7210 County B, south of Monroe, has seen an inch or two of standing water in some places, but that amount differs in areas, he said. Carrousel Farms handles about 9,000 acres, mostly corn and soybeans.
"If the rain stops for a week, we'd heal up," Bader said.
So far, the humid days and nights have been great for corn and soybeans.
"The corn looks phenomenal," Bader said. "Corn and soybeans do very well with the heat and rain, and (those crops) got a jump start this year."
Hay fields are soft and muddy, but farmers could get a good yield in the second cutting, if they can get into the fields, Mayer said.
Farmers need the soil to dry out by the end of this week in order to get into fields for the second cutting of alfalfa. The first cutting, although early, produced a normal yield, he said. Alfalfa cuttings, usually about 30 days apart, are coming seven to 10 days ahead of schedule for a normal season, Mayer said.
"We had a lot of problems getting done with the first crop (alfalfa for baling)," Bader said. "The rains kept coming and we didn't have a large enough open window (of time)."
Farmers who chop alfalfa for haylage don't need to worry as much about dampness and are "probably in good shape," Bader said.
Another crop, winter wheat, will most likely be fine, Mayer said.
While the temperatures and humidity have been ideal growing conditions for corn so far. "If it's 86 degrees or over, it's detrimental," Mayer said.
Bader said higher temperatures slow the growth of both corn and soybeans.
The National Weather Service is predicting nightly lows of 65 to 67 degrees, and daytime highs in the mid to high 80s for coming week. But the forecast is also calling for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday.
"It's a roll of the dice," Bader said.
Monroe had a total of four inches of rain in May and already had 3.88 inches for June as of Wednesday, according to George Thompson, superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant, which records precipitation. Those numbers are within the monthly averages recorded between 1971 and 2000 by the National Weather Service, with May at 3.59 inches and June at 4.98 inches.
Heavy rain came later than usual in 2009. In July, the area saw 5 inches of rain, and in August, almost 8 inches. May brought only 2.52 inches and June, 3.94 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
"Low lying fields are saturated, and standing water results in a loss of crops," said Mark Mayer, Green County's UW-Extension agriculture agent. "But (the rain) has been good, even ideal, for uplands and well-draining soils."
Crops can survive in standing water for up to 24 hours, but then begin to die, with total loss after 48 hours, Mayer said.
Troy Bader, a partner at Carrousel Farms, W7210 County B, south of Monroe, has seen an inch or two of standing water in some places, but that amount differs in areas, he said. Carrousel Farms handles about 9,000 acres, mostly corn and soybeans.
"If the rain stops for a week, we'd heal up," Bader said.
So far, the humid days and nights have been great for corn and soybeans.
"The corn looks phenomenal," Bader said. "Corn and soybeans do very well with the heat and rain, and (those crops) got a jump start this year."
Hay fields are soft and muddy, but farmers could get a good yield in the second cutting, if they can get into the fields, Mayer said.
Farmers need the soil to dry out by the end of this week in order to get into fields for the second cutting of alfalfa. The first cutting, although early, produced a normal yield, he said. Alfalfa cuttings, usually about 30 days apart, are coming seven to 10 days ahead of schedule for a normal season, Mayer said.
"We had a lot of problems getting done with the first crop (alfalfa for baling)," Bader said. "The rains kept coming and we didn't have a large enough open window (of time)."
Farmers who chop alfalfa for haylage don't need to worry as much about dampness and are "probably in good shape," Bader said.
Another crop, winter wheat, will most likely be fine, Mayer said.
While the temperatures and humidity have been ideal growing conditions for corn so far. "If it's 86 degrees or over, it's detrimental," Mayer said.
Bader said higher temperatures slow the growth of both corn and soybeans.
The National Weather Service is predicting nightly lows of 65 to 67 degrees, and daytime highs in the mid to high 80s for coming week. But the forecast is also calling for a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday.
"It's a roll of the dice," Bader said.
Monroe had a total of four inches of rain in May and already had 3.88 inches for June as of Wednesday, according to George Thompson, superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant, which records precipitation. Those numbers are within the monthly averages recorded between 1971 and 2000 by the National Weather Service, with May at 3.59 inches and June at 4.98 inches.
Heavy rain came later than usual in 2009. In July, the area saw 5 inches of rain, and in August, almost 8 inches. May brought only 2.52 inches and June, 3.94 inches, according to the National Weather Service.