JOHNSON COUNTY -
USDA Farm and Foreign Ag Services Undersecretary Michael Scuse toured Johnson County Thursday morning, hoping to get a better feel for the impact of this historic drought on farmers and crops.
It's been a difficult time for Indiana farmers. Eighty Indiana counties are under drought declarations, and more than half of the U.S. is in some stage of drought.
A half-inch of rain fell in Johnson County Wednesday. The water-starved soybeans and corn turned green again overnight. Monday, leaves in one cornfield drooped down. The ground changed from concrete-like to soft and muddy.
Despite the brief relief from the drought, the outlook for farmers hasn't changed very much.
"I'd say it is worse than some people may think," said dairy farmer Merrill Kelsay.
Kelsay's farm hosted Scuse Thursday morning. The undersecretary concedes much of the emerging corn crop is already lost and beyond hope.
"I don't care how much rain you get, it can't put kernels of corn on that ear," Scuse said.
When Joe Kelsay isn't working in the dairy, he's Indiana's director of agriculture. He says crop conditions across the state are all over the map.
"One field, it may be a zero crop, or one or two or three percent crop. In other areas, it may be a 50 or 75 percent crop," Kelsay said.
Unofficial estimates predict 30 percent of corn crops will be lost, enough to send grain prices soaring. Kelsay says the cost of feeding dairy cows is already up 25 percent. Purdue University predicts the drought could be a financial disaster for livestock producers.
The USDA says it's likely the drought will cause food prices to go up. But as bad as it looks, they say we won't know the full impact until next year.
"In the long term, we will work with seed companies to create the kinds of seeds that will be more effective dealing with adverse weather," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "Because they have done that, it's one of the reasons we are uncertain of the impact of this drought - it's bottom line - because some seeds are drought-resistant."
Scuse insists any effects on consumers will be small.
"There is not a lot of wheat in a loaf of bread and not a lot of corn in a box of Corn Flakes. If there are increases on specific items, they will be small," he said.
It's a small consequence to farmers who, despite a little rain, are looking at large, if not disastrous, losses.
Wednesday, the USDA toured the Fort Wayne area in Allen County and parts of White County.
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