Officials
Plead for Help as Crops Fail
29
June, 2018
An
abnormally wet spring has led Delaware officials to ask the USDA for
an emergency declaration to help farmers affected by the soggy
weather.
In
some instances, even multiple replantings have not helped, officials
said.
“Farming
is hard no matter what, but when you get hit with the weather we have
seen this spring and the damage it has done to our fruit and
vegetable crops, our grains and our hay, it has a huge impact on our
farmers, our communities and the state as a whole,” said Gov. John
Carney as he announced the request.
Weekly
crop reports published by the USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service show several crops in Sussex County that have been
hit the hardest: corn, melons, green beans and peas. Some low-lying
areas are still flooded and cannot be replanted.
In
other instances, farmers have replanted multiple times in an attempt
to salvage a crop.
“We
have farmers who are trying to plant field corn for the third and
fourth time,” said Michael Scuse, agriculture secretary. “That’s
a lot of money invested in seed and when the bill arrives they are
going to need help paying it.”
Kenneth
Bounds, deputy agriculture secretary, said that even replanted crops
have shown signs of stress because of excess moisture.
“We
have some corn that has been planted two and three times, and the
corn that did survive is very short of nitrogen,” he said.
Fruit
and vegetable growers also have been affected. The Delaware crop
progress report stated that green beans and peas are “in poor
shape.”
Bounds
also said the melon crop has been seriously damaged. With farmers
getting seeds in the ground much later than usual, the delay could
have serious consequences.
“Melons
that were planted very late could well fall into a period where the
price is not as advantageous,” he said.
Some
areas of Delaware got nearly half the annual average rainfall total
in three months this spring, according to the National Weather
Service.
In
southern Delaware, Georgetown recorded a total of 22.43 inches of
rain from April through June 24. The normal is 10.64 inches,
according to the weather service.
And
the wet weather has delayed harvesting of winter grains.
Richard
Wilkins, a Greenwood farmer, said his barley crop, just harvested, is
down an estimated 40 percent. Fortunately, Wilkins has crop insurance
to cover some of his losses.
Delaware
will be eligible for federal assistance if the state can document a
30-percent loss for at least one crop. State agriculture officials
will now begin the process of documenting losses and will submit them
to the USDA.
If
approved by the USDA, Delaware farmers would be eligible for
emergency loans to recover from crop losses.
“It
is impossible for Delaware farmers to come out of this without
emergency assistance,” Scuse said.
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