Shallow Roots & Silent Prayers
Dancing Between Drought and Deluge
Sheri Oteri, Lewis, and I took a break from moving house this past week and went for a crop tour. From excellent to hideous, northern Minnesota crop production is a total smorgasbord.
Many crops suffer from moisture stress; some are drowned out and dead.
There are bright spots where fields have escaped heavy rains and look fabulous, but these areas are scattered and not very widespread. Farmers in the excellent regions remain quiet about it. It reminds me of a baseball dugout when the pitcher has a no-hitter cooking, and no teammate wants to be the one to jinx it.
The wheat looks fantastic despite the challenging weather conditions, even in some wetter areas. The weather in May and June was cool and damp, which is not great for golf or corn hole tournaments but excellent for spring wheat development.
Unsurprisingly, the cash wheat market has taken a beatdown these past few weeks. As far as I can tell, wheat will pour from everybody’s ears when harvest begins in about a month. It’s one of the most excellent spring wheat crops I’ve ever seen.
Top three, for sure.
As far as many of those struggling row crops, this week’s sun and heat have brought them back from the brink and some fresh optimism for an abundant harvest.
Most farmers say we'll need it, given how commodity prices look.
The one thing that scares me about years like this, when we have excessively wet springs, is a mid-to late-season moisture shutdown. A plant's roots tend to stay shallow when soils are cool and have abundant moisture, like in 2024.
Those shallow roots can later be detrimental if we get excessive heat and the soil dries out faster than the roots can follow the moisture.
My guy Snodgrass refers to it as a "flash drought," which doesn't sound pleasant at all. Most crops are sufficiently mature to withstand it, but like any farmer who needs to be concerned about something at all times, it’s as reasonable as anything else.
Remember, we’re always two weeks from a drought and twenty-four hours from a flood.
That’s all I got for ya’s this week. The days are shortening, and summer is half-gone. Best get out there and enjoy it before the snow shovels return. Thanks for hanging with me again this week.
Take care of yourselves, gang. ✌
P.S. Lewis digs the wheat.
How do crops look in your neck o’ the woods?
Are you closer to a flood or a drought?
Have we seen a bottom in commodity prices? Asking for a friend.
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We're growing high value perennial crops like Asian pears and chestnuts and honestly, all this rain is good for us. We grow them on old farm terraces we've worked into swales and berms that capture downpours then store the water for the roots. It's not for everyone, but it sure beats what you're going through! Hope things get better for you soon!
Love it! Thank you.