LAPORTE, Ind. – Bans on open burning to protect extremely dry, early dying crops prior to harvest started being lifted in some Indiana counties following consecutive days of rainfall.

However, bans were still in place on Sept. 25 in more than 30 of the drought-plagued counties across the state.

In LaPorte County, for example, the ban imposed on Sept. 18 will remain in effect until October 2 but could be extended depending on conditions at that time.

“It’s going to take more than just one rainfall to get us back to where we need to be,” said La Porte County Commissioner Joe Haney.

In mid-September, nearly all 92 counties in Indiana had burn bans in place due to conditions varying from severe to moderate drought.

Despite the rain, there are still concerns about fields being more prone to fire throughout the entire harvest season.

Cass-Clinton Township Fire Chief Jeff Mitzner, who’s also a farmer, said the recent rain may have helped “green up” grass in yards and weeds along ditches and roadways.

However, without more rain than what fell recently, he said the dry ground in the fields will soak up water too fast to provide much long-term drought relief for the few crops still maturing that could use it.

Even more critical, Mitzner said the amount of prematurely dying corn from lack of rain will stay powder dry no matter how much new moisture is received.

Mitzner, who raises livestock along with corn and soybeans to feed his animals in the Wanatah area, is asking the public to take the open burning bans seriously due to conditions, which he hasn’t seen this dry in about 20 years.

Before the recent rainfall, his department was called to handle a grass fire apparently caused by a lit cigarette butt flicked from an open motor vehicle window in the median of U.S. 30. 

He said the fire spread for about 400 feet before it was extinguished. 

Mitzner believes the ban in La Porte County should be extended at least for another week to help keep any brush fires from spreading to fields of dry corn and soybeans.

He already expects harvesting to be more dangerous than usual for combine operators throughout the season, especially because of early dying corn plants no longer capable of absorbing moisture.

“A 10-mile-an-hour wind would spread a field fire pretty very fast right now,” he said.

Mitzner said harvesting from dust created by the cutting and shredding combines do to separate corn and soybeans from the plants always carries some degree of fire risk to farmers and their fields. Typically, only the machines catch fire when a spark ignites the tiny airborne organic particles.

This year, Mitzner said he expects the clouds of plant material to be heavier and much drier, increasing the risk of a flash-like fire that a farmer could get swept up in before having a chance to jump off the harvesting machine.

“That’s how dry it is,” he said.

He advised farmers to pay special attention this harvest season for any sparks flying off their combines so they can respond quicker to any help they might need.

Matt Schafer, a corn and soybean grower from LaCrosse, said contributing to the corn and soybean plants dying ahead of schedule is the energy they spent consuming what little water was left at a faster pace to try to complete filling out the ears and pods.

He said many of the unharvested corn stalks are dry enough to be at risk of toppling over in the fields at any time. Fallen corn plants result in yield losses because they’re more difficult for combines to pick up off the ground.

“The stand ability of this corn is not going to be great. So, you might see guys out there picking kind of early trying to get it before maybe it goes down on its own,” Schafer said.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, over 71 percent of the state was under moderate drought conditions prior to the recent precipitation while slightly more than 6 percent of Indiana in parts of the northeast, southeast and southwest were under a severe drought.

The rest of the state was categorized as “abnormally dry.”

La Porte County Emergency Management Agency Director Rob Sabie said fire departments have authority to enforce the ban, which could bring a fine or even criminal charges should personal or property damages result from the violation.