LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s major crops are well behind their averages.

 

According to the USDA’s latest crop weather report, for the week ending July 9, corn silking in Michigan was at 0 percent, while at this time last year it was at 3 percent, with the five-year  average at 6 percent.

For soybeans blooming, for the week ending July 9, it was at 13 percent. At this time last year it was 19 percent and the five-year average was 25 percent.

For winter wheat mature, the figure for the week ending July 9 was 38 percent, while for last year at the same time it was 75 percent. And for winter wheat harvested the figure for the week ending July 9 was 0 percent, the same time last year it was 13 percent and the five-year average was 18 percent.

Dry beans were behind, too, with beans emerged at 82 percent for the week ending July 9; last year’s at this time being 100 percent and the fiveyear average at 97 percent. Alfalfa first cutting, too, was lower, with a figure of 79 percent for the week ending July 9 and 98 percent at that time last year.

Oats headed were at 62 percent for the week ending July 9, while at that time last year that figure was 90 percent and the five-year average was 91 percent. The culprit appears to be a lot of heavy rain and flooding this season.

 

“I would say that, yea, it’s been pretty wet,” said John Miyares, an agricultural statistician at the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Michigan field office.

“It was pretty wet last month and to some extent it’s continued with a heavy rain pretty much every week since then. But there’s time for the crops to recover and the crop condition is good. Dry beans have really fared the worst.

“It’s been a wet summer and a lot of it has come hard and fast. It’s just been overwhelming for a lot of farmers.”

According to a June 23 statement from Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), flooding rains for much of mid-Michigan were recorded where 72-hour totals came to over 8 inches of rain and 7-day totals of 12 inches of rain in parts of Isabella and Midland counties were recorded.

There were flooded farm fields and washed out roads. The statement said that throughout the Saginaw Valley and the greater Thumb region 7-day totals of 10 inches or more of rain were recorded.

Bay, Isabella and Midland counties declared themselves disaster areas and the state-issued disaster area designations for Isabella and Midland counties to free up financial support. Local reports said that Gladwin County was also hard hit by rains during this period.

According to the MFB, sporadic rain patterns were creating a contrast between growers, with many of them still praying for rain elsewhere across the state.

“While the amount of precipitation that’s fallen over the last 7 days has wreaked havoc on crops and damaged a great deal of infrastructure in mid-Michigan, the Saginaw Valley and Thumb areas of the state, it’s hard to believe that some parts of Michigan are hurting for rain, but it’s a real concern,” said the MFB’s Kate Thiel on June 23.

Despite this, according to the latest crop weather report, fruit and vegetable crops seem to be doing okay. No unusually adverse conditions were reported for crops ranging from potatoes to tomatoes to cucumbers to blueberries.

Regionally, corn seemed to be behind in some of the states, with corn silking in Illinois at 33 percent for the week ending July 9, versus a five-year average of 45 percent. The same figure for Indiana was 19 percent, versus a five-year average of 27 percent.

For Kentucky, that figure was 59 percent, versus a five-year average of 50 percent. For Ohio, that figure was 10 percent, versus a five-year average of 16 percent. 

 

And for Tennessee, that figure was 81 percent, versus a five-year average of 74 percent.

Soybeans seemed to be closer to averages, with soybeans blooming in Illinois at 31 percent, versus a five-year average of 32 percent. In Indiana, those figures were identical.

In Kentucky, that figure was 22 percent, versus a five-year average of 20 percent. In Ohio, that figure was 25 percent, versus a five-year average of 23 percent.

And in Tennessee, the figure was 40 percent, versus a five-year average of 26 percent.