Relentless rain across much of the country has been an inconvenience and annoyance for many people.
But for farmers in Ohio, the Midwest and other parts of the country, it is threatening their livelihood, according to experts at The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The last 12 months have been the wettest on record in Ohio, and that has put farmers across the state so far behind in planting corn and soybeans that some are deciding not to plant and to file an insurance claim instead.
On June 14, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue a disaster designation for Ohio to make assistance available to farmers as they deal with continuing heavy rainfall.
As of June 17, only 68 percent of Ohio’s corn crop and 46 percent of Ohio’s soybean crop had been planted, according to USDA Crop Progress reports. Typically by now, Ohio’s corn acres have been entirely planted and nearly all of the state’s soybean acres have been planted.
The delay in planting adds an extra layer of strain on farmers already facing low prices for corn and soybeans, low animal feed supplies and uncertainty about trade relief aid.
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