Central U.S. Storms Placing Burden on Homeowners

This spring, American farmers are dealing with a broad range of weather conditions, with flooding in the Midwest and drought in other parts of the country impacting planting schedules and perhaps killing crops.

Since April is often devoted to getting the soil ready for agricultural planting, it is a crucial time of year for farmers in this region of the United States.

But those preparations have been derailed by recent extreme weather in the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio valleys and the severe drought in Nebraska and the Corn Bele.

“I was talking to the people in Southern Ohio in late March, and this was causing them to lose their lunch as they were discussing their plans for April,” stated Andrew Pritchard, senior meteorologist with Nutrien Ag Solutions.

A delayed storm system soaked southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois last week, causing floods. The Ohio River and other streams surged, devastating the surrounding towns with flooding.

Pritchard said that in around a week, there was more than 10 inches of rain. Many farmers have fallen farther behind schedule due to this oversaturation of the soil and the inability to prepare their fields as intended.

According to Pritchard, rain is not anticipated anytime soon in Nebraska’s west, where some regions have received less than an inch of precipitation this season. He pointed out that the situation for farmers would grow more precarious if the area does not receive rain in late April and early May.

According to Pritchard, it is too soon to tell how much this will affect crops, particularly because the summer will bring additional hot and dry conditions. Adding extra moisture to the soil and surrounding reservoirs early in the growing season is essential since many farms depend on irrigation.

“A lot of that depends on what kind of moisture we get here in the spring to kind of set up a buffer in some of these areas,” Pritchard said. “We’re always worried about heat and stress and what the drought impact could be as we get into the summer.” We’re closely monitoring things; many queries will be addressed over the following months.