Farmers continue to adapt to challenges

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — From parched plants to flooded fields, a lot has changed in a month on the Kron family farm.

Randy Kron, farmer and president of Indiana Farm Bureau, said the much-needed rain perked up the crop in some fields, while damaging plants in others.

He shared an update with AgriNews.

Q: Is the crop in better shape compared to a month ago?

It’s surprising how fast a couple good rains can turn this crop around. I give credit to a lot of improved genetics over the past 10 to 15 years. Crops can take a lot more stress than they could 15 years ago.

We have to give credit to the biotechnology companies, as the genetics have really improved.

I think 15 years ago, the crop would have had a lot bigger yield reduction. Once we got the rain, it’s like you flipped a switched. It perked up.

Q: What might yield potential look like?

There’s some decent yield potential. Some of that we’re not going to know until we get in the combine. It’s a little early to be doing counts yet. I don’t think we’ll have record-breaking yields because of the stress. But if we can pull out an average year, we’ll be pretty happy after what we’ve gone through this year.

Q: Besides genetics, what other technologies are important on the farm?

We do variable rate fertilizer. It’s environmentally and financially better, so it’s a win-win for both sides. We run Y-drops on a lot of our corn, so we side dress nitrogen with a ground rig. And they got most of that done just before the rain started hitting. We were pretty fortunate.

We split apply nitrogen at least two or three times, trying to be more efficient. Especially with the costs this year. We’re trying to feed the plant just what it needs and not have any waste. High fuel prices and high fertilizer prices make farmers be pretty innovative. We try to get the most with what we’ve got.

Q: What kind of weather would help the crop finish strong?

We still need another rain or two before the season ends. It would be nice to have half an inch or 1-inch rains, nice and slow for most of the day. But we don’t get to order what we want. Soybeans will need some late August rains in order to fill out. You can have a lot of blooms, but they don’t fill the pods without rain. Moderate temperatures sure help a lot.

So we need a couple more rains and a dry fall. Last year we got into mud, which makes harvesting more challenging.

Q: What’s next?

We’ll deal with whatever we get and we’ll make the best of it. That’s kind of what farmers do around the state. They’re going to make the best of the situation and try to maximize. Farmers are pretty innovative. And they know how to adapt.

There’s been a number of curveballs thrown at us this year. But considering all the adversity, the crop is in better shape than I thought it might have been.

Ukraine is shipping a few loads out. But from a world supply standpoint, we need to have a good crop here.

Q: How do crops look across the state?

I’ve talked to farmers in west-central Indiana who still need rain. It’s hard to fathom when we have crops standing in water, and others are praying for rain. There’s a lot of variability across the state of Indiana this year.