Rainfall delays planting, but causes hope for summer crops

After two months of consistent rainfall in the area, Wiregrass farmers are optimistic about the summer crops.

Jamar Ivey, who grows cotton, corn and soybeans for Yance Farms in Haleburg, sees the influx of rain as a significant help to his crops, even if it was a bit excessive.

“Right now, the crops are looking pretty good with all the rain,” Ivey said. “We’ve been a drought the last couple years. We’ve been having corn, but the wet weather early in the spring kind of set us back a bit. The big 10-inch rain we got in the latter part of March saturated the ground so bad it took nearly two weeks before our equipment would stand up in the fields. But you don’t want to complain about it, because it might stop.”

It’s not just Ivey who sees a fruitful summer ahead.

“From the whole scope of things, the rainfall has been great,” said Houston County Extension Coordinator Willie Durr. “As far as the crops go, the corn crop overall is the best we’ve seen in some time in this area. The rainfall has helped in that regard. May is typically a dry month, so this has been unusual. Nutrient loss and fertilizer loss due to excessive rainfall is a cost concern, but as far as plant growth, everything is going well.”

Peanut production is also promising.

The rainfall delayed planting of some crops, but local experts say it’s worth the wait.

“We’ve been very blessed and had a lot more rain this season, and that’s good,” said Alabama Peanut Producers President Carl Sanders. “It has slowed down planting a bit, but farmers would much rather have it wet than dry. Planting progress has been a little slow, but most everyone’s finished now. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen in July and August, but we’re off to a real good start.”

However, the rain from March to May has led to standing water in some low-lying areas, which can be a cause for concern.

It also has caused some particular concerns for vegetables.

“We have a lot of farmers across the entire Wiregrass scrambling to plant seeds. The rain is a blessing in one way and a curse in another. We have had too much rainfall at one time,” Durr said. “Plants as a general rule can only take so much water. Standing water can cause problems as far as them dying.
Tomatoes, for example, just don’t do well in excessive water, and some people believe flavor is affected.”

Luckily, the spring crops, such as strawberries, performed well, according to Durr, and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the summer’s production.

You won’t hear Ivey complaining.

“You hate to get 4 to 5 inches at one time, but then again, if you’ve got that amount of rain and the ground is able to hold it, the crops flourish off of it,” he said. “it’s a blessing and a hurting at the same time, but it’s more of a blessing.”