(La Porte County, IN) - Crop damage from the August 11 storm that packed up to 100 mile per hour winds seems rather limited for the most part in La Porte County.

 

At least one field containing over 100 acres near Kingsford Heights, though, had a lot of corn plants knocked completely to the ground or left leaning by the hurricane force winds of the storm in places that also brought heavy rains.

 

Farmer Mark Parkman said a small percentage of his corn plants on the outer edges of his fields had their stalks snapped below the ears and were left leaning.

 

Parkman said he hasn’t been deeper into his fields yet to know if there’s any similar damage toward the center of his fields but doubts it since the outside plants take the brunt of the winds.

 

“It could be worse inside than outside. Typically not, but it can happen that way,” he said.

 

Parkman, who also owns an excavating firm, said he hasn’t had a chance to try and get in his fields because he’s been helping remove the many fallen trees and limbs from the Westville area in what’s been an ongoing major clean-up.  His corn and soybeans were already struggling to a certain extent from the wet spring and the wet growing season before the storm and the additional rain that fell later in the week.

 

Farms in his area are slower draining because of heavy clay in the soil.

 

“It’s not going to be a bumper crop.  It hasn’t been all year long in my book.  It’s just one more thing that’s going to hinder the crop in our area,” he said.

 

Farmer Jeff Mitzner of Wanatah said there wasn’t much crop damage in his area with just a few broken and leaning corn stalks in his fields along with some with leaves stripped from the stalks by hail.

 

Mitzner said his crops could have been hurt some by the six inches of rain that fell last week but he hasn’t been out in his fields recently to determine moisture levels. He still likes the condition of his corn and soybeans, which have benefited from having more easier to drain sand in the soil.

 

Mitzner said he spent the weekend in downstate Tipton welcoming a new grandchild into his family and witnessed the devastating flooding the recent storms brought to that part of the state.  Some areas were below 20 feet of water in spots.

 

“If I had my choice, I’d take the wind damage over the water damage because at least then you still have your valuables at home.  There, houses were washed into the river,” he said.

 

Farmer Matt Schafer said his fields in LaCrosse and as far to the west as Kouts received anywhere from four to seven inches of rain last week.  He also reported just minimal crop damage but he could discover more once he goes deeper out into his fields at some point.

 

Schafer also said he’s worried now about the potential for disease and other things that hurt yields developing because of the recent heavy rains and lack of hot weather to evaporate the moisture faster.

 

“We’re kind of in a wait and see mode.  In our particular area, it would seem as though we might have dodged a bit of a bullet,” he said.