MAHONING VALLEY Another soggy spring means planting woes for farmers

Many still haven't been able to plant.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
After two years of poor growing seasons, Mahoning Valley farmers are once again fighting an uphill battle during a spring of heavy rain, said Ernie Oelker, Columbiana County extension agent.
It's so far, so good for corn and soybeans planted early, but many farmers are still trying to get those crops into the ground, Oelker said.
"There's still a lot out there to be planted," Oelker said Friday. "It should be warm and dry for crops to grow and we have cold and wet. Some farmers are switching to seeds designed for a later harvest, and that means lower yields than the yields anticipated for corn and soybeans planted earlier."
Livestock farmers will see an increase in operational costs because many will have to buy hay from the western United States to supplement winter feed stores, he said. Many farmers are just now paying for expenses from two years ago because the previous two growing seasons were poor, he said.
Grain farmers should be able to get several cuttings of hay during the summer, but good hay production requires hot, dry weather. The hay is cut then allowed to dry before it is taken off fields.
With continued rain, farmers find they have hay fields too wet to get into to cut. Grain crops such as hay and wheat find soggy conditions far less than ideal, so they don't produce as well.
Wheat
Wet weather also can spell disaster for wheat crops, Oelker said. Wet weather makes a fungus known as head scab thrive on wheat, Oelker said. Farmers should watch for head scab in the next two weeks. The fungus makes the heads of wheat look bleached out rather than bright green, so it's easy to spot, he said.
Oelker advised farmers to test soil for nitrogen levels, because they may need to add nitrogen-rich fertilizer to their soil. He said nitrogen is an essential element for crop growth, and excess moisture releases the nitrogen from the soil.
Fairfield Township farmer Myron Wehr does crop growth research for the extension service with Oelker. He recorded rainfall of 8 inches on his farm in May.
Oelker said Wehr was able to plant corn on the test plots and what's planted so far is doing well.
Oelker and Wehr have been conducting research for several years to see how different techniques for planting corn and application of manure and other fertilizers affect crop growth.