Ohio farmers are in “wait and see” mode right now, said Ed Lentz, Ohio State University extension educator in Hancock County. “The farmers finally got enough dry days in a row and had a chance to evaluate their fields,” he said.

Some crops look okay in the field. “Then, there’s others where you wonder why you planted a crop this year. Even in the good fields, we know that the saturated field conditions we had mean there’s root damage that’s been done.”

As heat started again in late July, he said farmers were finding out how much damage was permanent.

“There’s firing the lower leaves,” he said. “And root systems are so damaged they can’t take up nutrients. In some cases it looks more like sweet corn than a field corn patch.”

In northwestern Ohio, Lentz said the area hardest hit has been north of Interstate 70 between U.S. Highway 30 and the Ohio Turnpike. He said the story is similar with soybeans, although they might have a chance to bounce back.

“Beans have a little more chance if they didn’t get the really bad root damage,” he explained. “They might get some recovery, but I seriously doubt if we’ll have any record-breaking beans.”

Lentz said there were two wheat crops in northwestern Ohio – those that were able to harvest before July 4, and the rest. “Quality is really bad after July 4. As a result, we’re going to have a short supply of wheat seed this fall.”

Most of Ohio received relief from the wet and humid weather that has prevailed over most of the season, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Great Lakes regional office. Statewide, there were 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork, and warmer temperatures spurred crop development. Precipitation was lighter and less frequent, and sunny weather favored wheat harvest and baling of straw and hay.

The benefits of rescue efforts such as nitrogen application in corn was apparent, said NASS. Growers continued application of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, mainly using aerial applications in fields too soggy to support equipment.

However, effects of the season to this point continued to appear. Growers harvesting wheat found sprouting in lodged fields, low test weights and vomitoxin levels created difficulties in marketing the crop. Hay quality also was reduced by over-maturity, and supply may be an issue this winter.