There’s bad news and more bad news.
Nonstop rain and recent flooding in the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers has invaded Indiana towns, forcing rescues and evacuations while filling residents’ homes.
But Purdue University experts say this year’s wet June will have a much more cascading effect as floodwaters pool in open fields — drowning out young corn and soybeans, killing this year’s harvest and cutting into growers’ wallets.
Bob Nielson, a professor of agronomy, said an inch of rain a week, on average, makes for a desirable growing season. The National Weather Service, however, reports that some parts of northern Indiana have seen at least 10 inches of rain in the past seven days.
“One of the consequences of the water that’s been standing in these fields or just simply saturated soil is that it begins to take a toll on the root health of these crops very quickly,” Nielson said.
Meaning if the rain went away tomorrow, the damage may already be done, he said, and some fields might not fully recover.