June 28, 2017
Dry conditions strangling crop development
By STU MERRY
With each passing day the prospects of any semblance of a marketable crop in McLean County and central North Dakota continues to dry up, just like the stalks in the field.
Crops are a shadow of where they should be the first of July. And according to the National Weather Service, while there may be storms ahead, nothing says there will be a silver bullet to turn things around. The crop is too far gone.
Gerald Van Rooyen, ag lender for Garrison State Bank & Trust, said things look dire for a lot of crops.
About 60-70 percent if the county is in the extremely dry category. The rest is severe.
Calla Edwards, McLean County’s extension agent, said based on some of the reports she’s received it’s a mixed bag of conditions for the crops.
“Most of our spring crops are looking very short this year due to the lack of moisture and depending on when they were planted the fields are very spotty, especially in areas where you have shallow soils and limited moisture,” she said.
Crops are a shadow of where they should be the first of July. And according to the National Weather Service, while there may be storms ahead, nothing says there will be a silver bullet to turn things around. The crop is too far gone.
Gerald Van Rooyen, ag lender for Garrison State Bank & Trust, said things look dire for a lot of crops.
About 60-70 percent if the county is in the extremely dry category. The rest is severe.
Calla Edwards, McLean County’s extension agent, said based on some of the reports she’s received it’s a mixed bag of conditions for the crops.
“Most of our spring crops are looking very short this year due to the lack of moisture and depending on when they were planted the fields are very spotty, especially in areas where you have shallow soils and limited moisture,” she said.
