By Ryan McGeeney U of A System Division of Agriculture

Quick Particulars:

5 relyies embraced in estimate
600,000 acres of cropland impacted
Replanting in corn financialally unfeasible
Replanting in soybeans Extra probably to see significantly lowered yield

DUMAS — Farmers in five relyies in southeastern Arkansas suffered Greater than $200 million in direct losses to primary crops after The primary flooding and storm event in early June, Based mostly on a preliminary estimate by particularists with the College of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said Monday.
John Anderson, economist with the Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers School of Agricultural, Meals and Life Sciences, delivered the preliminary estimate all by way of a flood restoration meeting held Monday night On the Dumas Group Center.
Anderson was Definitely one of A few dozen particularists with the Division of Agriculture presenting crop-particular information and answering questions from the roughly 175 in-particular person and digital attendees.
The metropolis of Dumas, and the shut toby Division of Agriculture evaluation station at Rohwer, are On the emotional — if not pretty geographical — center of the flooding event, all by way of which Greater than 19 inches of rainfall was recorded in a 48-hour interval. The five relyies embraced Inside the damage estimate embrace Desha, house to each Dumas and Rohwer, Lonoke, Prairie, Jefferson and Drew relyies. The estimate Did not embrace Chicot County, the southeasternmost relyy Inside the state, although It is going to probably be impacted as floodwaters proceed To empty southward from Desha County on their Method to the Mississippi River.
Anderson said the estimates involved five primary crops: soybeans, rice, corn, cotton and wwarmth. The affiliated loss estimates amounted to $70 million every in soybeans and rice, $60 million in corn, $6 million in cotton and roughly $1 million in wwarmth and grain sorghum.
“That’s the place we stand right now,” Anderson said, noting that as relyies start to revise their estimates, these quantitys will probably change. He said the estimates Did not embrace particularty crops.
Vic Ford, affiliate Vice chairman for agriculture and pure assets for the Division of Agriculture, said that about 600,000 acres of cropland in southeastern Arkansas have been affected by the flooding event, with about half that submerged in a quantity of ft of water for an prolonged interval, Ford said.
He said growers farming crops Contained in the 300,000 closely affected acre space have been probably dealing with complete crop loss for the season.

Cotton
Invoice Robertson, extension cotton agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said about 4.5 To five % of the cotton crop in southeastern Arkansas had been misplaced to flood damage in June.
Robertson said that Inside the wake of the flood, many cotton growers Might want to plow the soil To interrupt the floor crust so thOn the soil can breathe.
“However As quickly as we Do this, We now Need to be very cautious To not destroy the roots That are there, as a Outcome of cotton tends to be shallow-rooted Inside these circumstances,” Robertson said.
Robertson warned Once against over-irrigating and over-fertilizing once the floodwaters drain off and The complete warmth of summer time is upon the land.
“We’ve acquired A lot of potential methods to shoot ourselves Inside the foot,” he said.
He said growers Might Even be tempted to overcompensate for perceived losses in nitrogen by making use of further fertilizer on areas that had already been appropriately fertilized Inside the spring.
“After A fast time, the oxygen will get deeper into the soil, and we’ll get A great deep root system on the cotton crops Once again,” Robertson said. “However when the plant picks up all that nitrogen we’re placing out, Then you undoubtedly’ve acquired a plant that’s in extreme gear, going as fast Because it could go at Some extent Inside the season As quickly as we’re wanting it to Deceleprice for harvest.”

Soybeans
Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said growers ought To behave fastly To evaluate how a lot of their soybean crop is salvageable, and What quantity of acres They’ve to purpose to replant.
“Proper now, on soybeans, The primary factor is evaluating what we’ve acquired,” Ross said. “Do You’d like to’re Taking A look at replanting, enhance your seeding price 10-15 % over what you’ve been doing beneath regular manufacturing practices.”
Ross cautioned, by no meanstheless, that most yield Is truly out of revery for soybeans planted this late Inside the season.
“Daily we delay getting beans into The beneathside, we’re dropping yield,” he said. “By June 15, we’ve already misplaced 22 % of most yield. So as of right now, we’re Taking A look at maybe 30 % yield loss.”
Ross urged growers To make the most of inoculants, which assist to stimulate nitrogen-rich nodules on root methods, all by way of replanting To maximise the out there yield.

Corn
Whereas estimates of financial damages in Arkansas corn have been shut toly as extreme as these of soybean and rice, Jason Kelley, extension wwarmth and feed grains agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said that acreage losses in corn have been comparatively restricted Inside the southeastern zone.
“Almost everyfactor Inside The world has been affected To some extent from flooding or wind damage that blew corn down, but we misplaced in all probability No Greater than 30,000 acres of corn,” Kelley said. In accordance to a March 31 report from the U.S. Division of Agriculture, Arkansas growers planted roughly 700,000 acres of corn this yr.
He said that replanting corn at this level Inside the season was probably financialally unfeasible For many growers.
“This late Inside The sport, replanting might get you half of what you’d get in an optimum yield,” Kelley said. “Economically, we’re past the window for replanting corn or grain sorghum.”

Rice
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said that while lots of of hundreds of rice acres Inside the southeastern zone have been impacted To some extent, the exact crop loss Shall be a lot smaller.
“Some growers misplaced partial areas, some complete areas have been misplaced. It’s Throughout the place,” Hardke said. “Rice toleprices a flood very properly — but Because of This event, the place the crop will get submerged, one area to The subsequent, you’re going to see An monumental distinction in survivability.”
He said that Collectively with submerged areas, further acres suffered blown levees, complicating growers’ efforts To take care of managed floods midway by way of the rising season.
Attendees at Monday’s meeting furtherly heard from particularists Inside the areas of soil well being, irrigation and pest administration.

Pump administration
Christopher Henry, affiliate professor for the Division of Agriculture, urged growers To look at and flush their pumps, Which may probably harbor micro organism In the event that they have been submerged Through the flood.
“You will Need to irrigate this yr, I’m pretty constructive,” Henry said. “Any pumps Which have been flooded and have been beneathwater, there’s A very good probability You’ve mud Inside them. You’re going To want to flush these out as quickly as You will Have The power to.
“There’s A great probability there are micro organism in that properly, so I’d converse to my properly driller about chlorinating that properly,” he said. “If there’s somefactor in that display, This will clear it out, and if you’ve acquired iron-producing micro organism This will clear them out, too, so your properly Shall be productive Everytime You exactly want it most, over The subsequent 30 days or so.”
Tommy Howeverts, extension weed scientist for the Division of Agriculture, said growers ought To primarytain three key factors in thoughts when managing weeds Inside the aftermath of the flood.

Managing weeds
“Weed administration isn’t going to get any simpler after the flood,” Howeverts said. “It’s going to be on A exactly area-particular, case-by-case basis.
“It’s going to be difficult,” he said. “You’re going to have A particular state of affairs in every area. It’s going to take cautious scouting and exact administration.”
Howeverts rethoughtsed growers that, although any residual herbicides growers utilized earlier than the flood Might be washed away, they nonetheless rely in the direction of their complete seasonal use of herbicides.
Lastly, Howeverts said that with the June 30 cutoff date for dicamba herbicide software looming, growers ought to give cautious althought as to what soybean varieties They will replant, if needed.
“Even when your crop survives the flood, Arising Once against this cutoff date, You should Take into consideration your subsequent decisions for controlling pigweed,” he said.

Insect administration
Gus Lorenz, extension entomologist for the Division of Agriculture, warned that while insect presconstructive will probably be intense going forward, growers ought to nonetheless Take notice of The sting ideas for making use of pesticides, pretty than making levelless softwares.
“We’re in a bind, and the tendency is to overcompensate for that,” Lorenz said. “Those thresholds are there To inform you when You’d like to make softwares. Daily we don’t Need to spray Is An environment nice day. We don’t Need to Pay money for crops we don’t want to spray with insecticide.”
Several growers in attendance said the current flooding was One of many worst climate events They might recall. Jerry McMahan, who farms cotton and completely different crops shut to the Division of Agriculture evaluation station at Rohwer, said it was the worst climate he’d seen in 50 yrs of farming.
“I’ve by no means seen somefactor Choose it,” McMahan said. “The worst I’ve ever seen. However We will’t Hand over. We’ve acquired To purpose to do one factor.”