Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Lack of rain and high temperatures are creating a near-critical state for crops and livestock in many areas of Indiana, including Kosciusko County.
Kelly Easterday, Extension agent for the county, said Friday that corn crops, now in the pollination stage, could still develop normally if the area gets rain within the next week or two. But the drought conditions already have affected the crop, she said.
"If it rains, we still won't get 100 percent of the crop," she said. "We're still going to take a hit, it's just how much of a hit will we take?"
With corn, she said, the heat stress will cause the ear to not develop and produce corn, since the plant will try to ensure its own survival and sacrifice corn production.
She has had reports of soybeans dying, she said, especially in the sandy northern areas of the county.
The heat is dangerous for livestock, she said. "They're out of their comfort zone by about 20 degrees. It's really tough on them."
Farmers are using sprinklers and hoses to try to keep livestock cool, she said, but it's sometimes not possible.
In abnormally hot temperatures, animals tend to crowd together instead of staying away from each other, she said, and researchers do not know why. It creates more heat stress and animals can die.
Dairy cows produce less milk, and calves born in this kind of weather also die more quickly, she said.
What can people do to help farmers get through an unusually hot, dry spell?
"Just pray for rain and a little less heat," Easterday said.
