MANITOWOC COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Heavy rain and hail moved through parts of Northeast Wisconsin Friday afternoon.
And those strong storms may have impacted crops trying to grow in the area.
Many farmers along the Lakeshore are getting a good look at that damage.
It’s adding to an already tough year for those in agriculture in Manitowoc County.
One farmer, Randy Geiger of Ran-Rose Dairy Farm, tells WLUK he may have lost his entire corn crop.
“The corn was probably a foot taller than it is now. This happened late Friday, and you can see that the leaves are all drying up already.”
Geiger says hail and high winds near Reedsville turned his 80-acre crop into a shredded mess.
“Had a nice stand of corn. Beautiful. Something to be proud of. And kiss her goodbye. She’s gone.”
It’s a similar story across the area.
“It went basically from Brillion, Reedsville area, down to southeast Manitowoc County,” said Scott Gunderson, Manitowoc County Agriculture Agent.
Gunderson says the hail affected about 40 percent of the county’s corn.
“It will limit the genetic potential of the crop. So we will have less yield, clearly as a result.”
And it’s more than just corn. Many farmers in the area are trying to salvage another crop. Gunderson says alfalfa, used to make hay, was damaged by widespread winter kill.
“In fact, we think our losses are probably about 65 percent on alfalfa. There’s some really good fields on well-drained soils, but there’s a lot of other fields on heavy clay, especially, that just didn’t come back at all.”
Gunderson says some of the alfalfa and corn may recover. Farmers need to be patient.
“Don’t replant. Don’t tear up a field right now. I think it’s best to wait a few days to see where the dead tissue is versus live tissue. Basically the growing point of the corn to see how it’s impacted.”
Meanwhile, Geiger says he has enough silage on hand to feed his 50 cows for now. But this season is far from over.
Ag-Agents say farmers need to document any damage from the storm.
That information will be necessary when farmers make claims with their insurance companies.
