Hot News

7.04.2006

By STEPHANIE JORDAN

Torrential rains ranging anywhere from five to 18 inches flooded the Delmarva Peninsula in the last days of June and in the early part of last week, causing millions of dollars in crop and infrastructure damage.
“It’s interesting,” said Maryland’s Secretary of Agriculture Lew Riley. “There’s a lot of damage. But there’s a lot of blessing, too.”
The June rains came months after the peninsula recorded its driest March on record, and farmers were concerned about being at a moisture deficit.
The recent rains have alleviated that problem, and now the farm community looks to assess the damage and salvage what it can.
“It’s not really a good time, anytime, in the growing season to have this much rain,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse. “It’s literally going to be weeks before the true economic impact will be known.”
Some areas in the region got just enough rain at this crucial time in the growing/planting season that their crops will produce good yields, but others got too much and had crops standing in water for an extended period of time.
“We have melons floating in the fields,” said Cory Whaley, an Extension agent in Sussex County, Del. Whaley said the soybean and corn fields in the county were under water, and that he is very concerned about vegetable crops.
Ed Kee, University of Delaware Extension vegatable crop specialist, said cucumber growers were the hardest-hit from the storms.
In Sussex County, Del., and Dorchester County, Md., Kee estimated between 150-200 acres will go unharvested because farmers cannot get into the fields with equipment. The rains also prevented some growers from planting more cucumbers for four days to a week, depending on the area.
“There’s definitely going to be a gap in harvesting about six weeks from now,” Kee said.
Watermelons fared slightly better since harvesting is further away from cucumbers, but Kee said about five percent of the acreage will be disrupted.
Kee said the rains increase the risk of foliar diseases like anthracnose, gummy stem blight and phytothera, he urges farmers to watch closely for symptoms that could lead to disease.
Dorchester County also experienced significant damage to its vegetable crops.
“Pickling cucumbers that were ready for harvest are not going to be usable, so (they) will not be harvested due to being over mature and perhaps even rotten,” said Betsy Gallagher, Dorchester County ag agent. “Time will tell for later fields. Standing water and disease pressure will substantially decrease yields, especially on vegetables. The longer water stays on those fields, the greater the yield reduction.”
Gallagher also noted that at least four poultry growers lost chickens due to the rains, and the Farm Service Agency in the county has estimated the damage between $10 and $12 million.
Infrastructure damage also is plaguing farmers — several roads in the county were washed out, and while farmers were not landlocked, they have had a difficult time trying to get to their fields.
She added that farmers should contact their crop insurance company and the Farm Service Agency to report damages, even if they don’t have crop insurance.
For Maryland farmers who have purchased federal crop insurance, crop damage from flooded fields from the record-breaking rains are covered just like in the case of drought.
Farmers should: Call their crop insurance agent and report what fields are flooded within 72 hours of discovery of loss or damage; have an adjustor evaluate the field before plowing it down (do not destroy evidence of damage until a loss adjuster evaluates it); if the crop is going to be harvested, then call the crop insurance agent, make a report and document the yield at harvest.
“About 1,090 small grain crop insurance polices are in effect in Maryland, covering 10,000 acres of barley and more than 57,000 acres of wheat,” said Mark Powell, Maryland Department of Agriculture’s chief of marketing and agricultural development. “There are risks of weather-caused diseases and toxins in small grains. If your insured grain may have quality damage, contact your crop insurance agent before you begin to harvest, or immediately upon discovery, and ask to talk to a crop loss adjuster to determine how to proceed to get the most from your crop insurance.”
Maryland Department of Agriculture partners with the USDA-Risk Management Agency and the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to provide information on crop insurance.
At RMA, Gene Gantz is available for questions at 717-497-6398. At MDA, contact Powell at 410-841-5775.
Pam King, an Extension agent with Charles County, said St. Mary’s County experienced infrastructure problems as well.
A tornado touched down in Chaptico, Md., last Tuesday, June 27, destroying barns and livestock buildings. Charles County experienced little water damage.
Agents across the region are concerned about the wheat crop; the crop was almost ready to be harvested, and the rains have delayed farmers from getting to the fields. And if the rains aren’t followed by a drying out period, it’s going to affect the test weight of the wheat.
The Eastern Shore of Virginia reported “ideal” amounts of rainfall, and Accomack County Extension Agent Jim Belote said the rain was needed badly.
Belote said very little water stood in the fields, and he said he expects to see a good wheat yield as long as the weather holds for farmers to get it out of the fields.
If they receive a great deal more rain, it’s going to delay not only the harvest but planting double crop soybeans.
Counties are still in the process of assessing the damage, and it will be some time before the ultimate impact of the heavy precipitation is known. Officials say hopefully, it will all work out.
“It could very well be somewhat of a mixed blessing,” Riley said. “We’re hoping for the best. All the agencies and counties are pretty resilient. We’ll put it back together, but it will take awhile.”
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Senior Editor Bruce Hotchkiss and staff writer Sean Clougherty contributed to this report.