A farmer in western Iowa says he does not remember what normal looks like. His operation is coming from two years of extensive drought. Due to the recent heavy rainfall, now it is too wet to get in the fields. In the last two weeks, he has received more than eight inches of rain, meaning he hasn’t been planting during that period.
The farmer shared with Successful Farming that what he has planted looks good, and he hopes this extra moisture will make for a bumper crop.
USDA Meteorologist Mark Brusberg says with more rain expected in the coming week, it may cause planters in some regions to remain idle.
“Parts of the deep South are expecting some very heavy amounts of rain locally — more than four inches of rain. And there is the potential for flash flooding from some of those heavier events, especially in the area bordering Texas and Louisiana, which was hit a couple of weeks ago with some very heavy rain. And, just generally widespread thunderstorms [are] expected this week in the Southeast, and really in the Northeast as well. New England expecting to pick up some rain as we look farther north over the next seven days. There’s a depiction of scattered, maybe some locally-heavy showers. So some of those fields in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin look like they’re going to remain wet.”
Mark Brusberg, USDA Meteorologist
Brusberg also mentioned rainfall could be a hit or miss for growers in the southern High Plains, where they could use some moisture.
