Hurricane Gustav delays corn harvest in South
Marco Rosamano picks up leaves and branches as he cleans up his front yard a day after Hurricane Gustav hit southeast Louisiana in New Orleans, Louisiana September 2, 2008.
Credit: Reuters/Sean Gardner
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Hurricane Gustav did little damage to the corn and soybean crops in the southeast region of the United States but harvest delays caused by excessive moisture in the fields could reduce the size of the corn crop this fall, agronomists said on Tuesday.
"The biggest concern that we have had is that harvest progress is way behind schedule because of rainfall that we have received over the last three or four weeks and this just adds to that delay," said Erick Larson, grain specialist with Mississippi State University Extension.
In some areas, farmers will need a week to 10 days of dry and sunny weather before they can get back to their fields and resume harvest.
Corn that is left in the field past its maturity date is susceptible to mold and the development of aflatoxin, Larson said.
Harvest delays could also lead to a reduction in the test weight, or density, of the corn, reducing the profit a farmer stands to gain from this year's harvest.
When the test weight is below normal, more of the grain is needed to meet specific weight requirements, thus adding to storage and transportation costs.
The southeast region of the United States accounts for only a small percentage of the nation's corn and soybean production. Typically, the bulk of the crops harvested from the region go to the export market and poultry producers.
In Georgia, some areas received as much as 15 inches of rain from the storm, said Eric Prostko, extension agronomist at the University of Georgia. High winds destroyed a portion of late-planted corn, he added.
But the rains would likely benefit the soybean crop, which has suffered from dry conditions throughout the summer, Prostko said. Soybean harvest was not expected to start for another few weeks.
But farmers in the southeast still faced the threat of severe weather that could hurt crops they still have in the ground. Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to make landfall in the southeastern United States later this week.
"We have got to wait and see what happens after this next storm comes through," Prostko said. "We will probably really know what is going on at that point.
(Reporting by Mark Weinraub; editing by Jim Marshall)
