COLUMBIANA COUNTY Temperatures affect farmers' crops

Crops survived the recent storms, but need higher temperatures to grow well.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Although the weekend thunderstorms dumped up to 7 inches of rain in many areas of Columbiana County, most standing crops survived.
"There wasn't a lot of wind in those storms, so the rain just came straight down," said Ernie Oelker, Columbiana County agriculture extension agent. "Most standing crops weathered the storms well."
Near the Mahoning County border, some farmers reported just 1 1/2 inches of rain, he said.
Although there are some areas where floodwaters washed through fields, the rain wasn't a problem for most crops yet to be harvested.
Oelker said farmers are watching the thermometer these days more than the clouds. Crops survived the recent storms, but need warmer weather to grow well, he said.
Although the sunny but lower than normal temperatures forecast will be pleasant for the Canfield Fair crowds, temperatures in the mid-70s and below aren't good for the corn and soybean crops yet to be harvested, he said.
Oelker said temperatures need to be in the mid-80s during the day and no cooler than 50 at night for the best growing conditions.
Localized flooding
Oelker said flooding was very localized in the county. He saw areas where flooding had washed through some fields, knocking down crops, and other areas where plowed fields were flooded or there was a lot of soil runoff.
"Farmers who had plowed fields lost a lot of topsoil," he said. "No-till fields, however, weren't damaged much at all."
The no-till process is a means of planting without plowing first, Oelker explained. Special equipment is manufactured to plant seeds without disturbing much of the soil.
Myron Wehr of Fairfield Township, Ohio's no-till farmer of the year in 2003, reported his fields were fine, Oelker said.
Oelker is a big fan of no-till farming. "I love to watch a field being plowed and seeing the soil turned over, but there's no need for it," he said. "This flooding is just another example of why no-till farming makes so much sense."
tullis@vindy.com