You don’t have to walk far into Iowa farm fields to see the damage done by August’s derecho.
“We see plants like this one that are really quite nice and good, but then we also see the bent over, broken off stalks as well with the ears pointed down,” says Mark Licht, an Extension cropping system specialist at Iowa state University, as he waded through a damaged Iowa field.
Recent estimates put the derecho damage price tag at $7.5 billion. While that figure would make it the costliest severe storm in U.S history, the extent of the damage is still not final, as the impact on agriculture is still being analyzed.
“What really makes it hard for harvest is when you have ears that are on the ground or within a foot to 18 inches off the ground,” Licht says. “That just makes it hard to harvest, and those are the problems Iowa farmers are facing.”
From drought to derecho, the scars of 2020 are scattered throughout fields.
“The concern that a lot of farmers are having right now is how low can they get that combine head without pulling in the corn root balls, without pulling in rocks,” says Licht. “Things like that that will damage the crop.”
While harvest is hindered by damaged fields, Iowa farmers are still hurrying to harvest what they can.
“You have to recognize that a lot of this crop even though it got knocked down, we’re still getting a fair amount of crop out of it,” says Chad Hart of Iowa State. “It wasn’t just completely leveled or gone. Yes, we had a few fields like that. But the idea is that we’re capturing a lot of those bushels that were out there.”
While quality is better than what some had expected after the derecho blasted the state, reports are still coming in. Hart says the 100 mile per hour winds plowed through these fields, but the damage differs from field to field.
“This field here was adjusted at about 41% green snap,” says Licht.
Licht says while the headaches of harvest are hitting growers right now, farmers should also focus on how to prepare for next year’s crop.
Drought/Derecho Damage Field Remedies
“The first is with how dry we’ve been, we need to replenish soil moisture,” he says. “One of the ways that we can help with that is putting out a cover crop. That’ll help with getting water infiltration, and it’ll help with trapping a little bit more snow.”
The other major issue popping up from derecho is volunteer corn. As stalks and ears were knocked to the ground, a mild fall has caused those kernels to sprout.
“Even the fields that they’ve harvested for grain, they’re going to have more dropped ears, they’re going to have more grain on the ground,” says Licht. “We’re already seeing some of what’s already been harvested, some of that’s already sprouting and growing this fall, which is a good thing. But again, if we can maybe come in with cover crops that will help, you know, provide some weed suppression, with that volunteer corn in the spring before we come back with soybeans.”
Licht says without creating a 2021 game plan this fall, he fears major issues could show up for Iowa farmers come spring.
“With the drought, we know that we haven’t leached out as much nitrogen,” he says. “If we get even normal precipitation next spring, we’re going to have big rains that flush the nitrogen out of the system. So again, the cover crops can help us minimize that. “
Dryness that ate into yield this summer now encourages a fast harvest pace, as farmers prove a bird’s eye view doesn’t always reveal the details of the devastation and delights of this 2020 crop.
