Hot, dry weekend is no help for farmers

(AP) This is the third summer in a row that farmers Jim and Marilyn Schumer have watched their corn wilt. The inch or so of rain that fell in central Minnesota earlier this week helped. But farmers like the Schumers say they need more in the critical upcoming days if they hope to salvage a crop.

"What we got gives us another week," Jim Schumer said.

Already, the heat and lack of moisture are causing the plants on the edge of his field to curl their leaves.

"It's not shot, but it is hurt," he said. "It's hurt bad enough that it's not going to be bumper-crop style."

The lack of rainfall and hot June caused dry soil conditions, hurting crop farmers like Schumer who don't have irrigation systems.

Corn and other crops planted on unirrigated sandy soil already was hurt by the dry June weather, said Dan Martens, University of Minnesota Extension Service educator in Benton County. Those plants may not fully recover, he said.

And because corn plants are getting bigger and are about to pollinate, they need more water than ever in the next few weeks.

"We really need a significant rain event every week to keep the crop going," Martens said.

Higher corn prices prompted Minnesota farmers to increase corn acreage by about 12 percent this year. But corn's longer growing season also makes it more susceptible to drought, Martens said.

Before this week's rain, St. Cloud was 3.79 inches below normal for rainfall in the last four weeks, said Peter Boulay, assistant state climatologist. June was especially dry, with rainfall 1.59 inches below normal, he said.

"June is such a critical month for rain," Boulay said. "If you fall short in June, those deficits really begin to add up."

The inch of rain that fell Monday and Tuesday helped, Boulay said. But about an inch is needed each week to keep the soil moist enough, he said.

Most corn that isn't irrigated is at least delayed in maturity if not nearly done growing, said Rick Gilbertson, a crop consultant with Pro Ag Crop Consultants in Sauk Rapids. "There is corn that I've seen that is starting to definitely go backward in its growth," he said. "The lower leaves are starting to dry up and die."

Some might see green-looking fields and think crops are healthy. But looks are deceiving, Gilbertson said. Stressed plants turn dark green because they can't process nitrogen properly, he said.

The Schumers get tired of hearing nonfarmers complain about rain ruining their weekend plans.

"It's just so shallow," Marilyn Schumer said. "They just don't realize what counts on the rain."