Expert: “Major problem” on the Eastern Shore if weather stays cold, damp
Rainy conditions in the past week on Delmarva may have a negative impact on local farmers.
At Virgil Shockley’s farm in Snow Hill, there are currently hundreds of acre of brown, damp soil despite having corn seeds planted into the ground for well over a week.
“Hopefully the sun will come out or we will have a major problem on the Eastern Shore,” He says.
The recent conditions have reportedly slowed down the sprouting pace of his corn crops.
Shockley says damp and cold conditions do not allow seeds to germinate.
As of Friday, he covered about 200 acres worth with corn seeds as of Friday and tells 47ABC he’s still got about 150 left to go. He says he’ll have to replant the seeds if nothing sprouts soon, which is not a cheap process.
“Between seed corn, fertilizer,chemicals, you’re looking at about 400 dollars an acre,” Says Shockley. “If you go back in, you’re looking at probably another 100, 125 dollars an acre.”
Shockley says another option for him is to use the remaining 150 acres of unplanted ground for soybean seeds.
It’s not just corn that’s running against the clock.
Dr. Jarrod Miller, Extension Educator for Agriculture at the University Of Maryland Extension in Somerset County, says wheat is generally planted around October on the Eastern Shore. According to Dr. Miller, some wheat crops began to flower this week near Princess Anne.
“The problem with wheat when it starts to flower is it can be infected with a fungus that will cause a toxin to be in it later when it’s harvested,” Explains Dr. Miller. “That only happens when it’s moist and wet.”
Dr. Miller says people have five days to spray it with a fungicide, but there are factors that are out of their control.
“Weather, wind…a lot of things could prevent them getting out on the field if the soil is too saturated and the equipment sinks in,” He says. “There’s additional things they have to deal with.”
Shockley says weather may be impacting strawberries as well.
We’re told most berries are about the size of a thumb and currently growing; however, cooler and damp temperatures could cause strawberries to mold even if they are in straw beds.
According to Shockley, this kind of weather will take them longer to turn red and to be ripe.
“The longer they sit on a vine, the damper it is…the more chance of mold that they’ll get,” He says. “So, you’re going to lose part of your crop on the guys that have the ‘pick-your-own’ [farms].”
He says picking season generally starts around the third week of May, but this weather we’re having lately may push it back.
