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To: TigerLikesRooster

Central Wisconsin had major flooding. I can only imagine areas along the Mississippi were worse. Some fields still covered. Also, I had heard from a friend, from a farm family, that some farmers probably would not replant since they had crop insurance to cover any loses. Dont know much about it, but it doesnt sound good.


10 posted on 07/19/2008 7:53:51 AM PDT by mouse1 ("whitey")
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To: mouse1
I am in hilly country in the SW of WI. A lot depended on elevation.Ridge fields are normal and look good. In flood areas, the lower into the valleys you go, the more likely the corn was flooded out or is stunted. You can see a flooded field surrounded by higher fields looking quite good. Some hillside fields weren't replanted, likely because the ground stayed so wet for weeks.Planting was already delayed because it was wet and cold during May with cold nights all through June. Crop insurance only pays out a portion of the actual loss and that alone shouldn't have prevented replanting. The wet Spring, flood June 5th, saturated soil and a month of cool temperatures, especially at night, probably has more to do with it. Beans look normal for this time of year, to me.

East of here, there are low areas in otherwise flat land (or as flat as it gets) still under water as of a week ago. This area is usually planted in contract vegetables for large packers and a couple of large parcels in the 200-acre range are for sale. They were plowed under and are bare.

To the South, there was more flooding, but there always is.

I haven't been along the River for the past 6 weeks, so can't report.

We got a lot of rain and have only had perhaps a week at most of dry days in a row. The temperatures for a couple of weeks have warmed up enough, especially at night, to accelerate growth. I have sweet corn planted 5/25 that is somewhat stunted, while the corn planted 2 weeks later looks fine, but all in all, they look ok and will bear, I think. My tomatoes are doing terrific. They are loaded with fruit, only one early tomato shows signs of insects,but my 60-day tomatoes aren't even blushed, yet.We had a month of cold nights in June, which is probably why. Even though we got some hail on Thursday, none of the fruit appears to have been even scarred. I'll know better on that in a few days, as it can take time for bruises to show. I am also hoping for some more dry days so the tomatoes don't split. Even with many days of high winds, none of my garden was damaged and I don't see damage in the maturing corn fields. Hay has been difficult to cut with all the rain, but farmers are used to that and take advantage of dry weather to cut. But I am told hay is very expensive.

My sweet bell peppers are just flowering. This is my first year growing these, so I have no experience, but they are 80-day plants and in my North-facing garden in a valley, that can mean 90+ days. These plants went in the ground 5/25. Experienced gardeners tell me that if we get early frost, sweet peppers can be dug up, potted and finished indoors. I hope not to have to find out if that will work.

Wild berries were right on target, a week later than some years, at the most, and juicier than I recall in the past. Blackberries in the higher elevations are showing a tinge of red at the tips. The apple trees are loaded.

Up until last year, we were in a marginal drought situation, here, so,despite the flooding, the rain has been needed to recharge the ground water. So much depends on when the rains come and how heavy they are relative to the plant's stage of development. Also, some of the worst flooded areas are in the floodplain and so flooding is expected, there.

13 posted on 07/19/2008 2:49:50 PM PDT by reformedliberal (Capitalism is what happens when governments get out of the way.)
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