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by Lynn Snyder

As Wayne County farmer Roger Baker said, "Since the beginning of time, there has been planting and harvest. Nobody promised what kind of planting and harvest, though."

Farmers across the state have been facing challenges with weather. According to the June 10 crop progress report from the Ohio Agricultural Statistics Service, the first week of June provided better planting conditions than in previous weeks. However, soybean planting is running on average three weeks behind last year. Harvested alfalfa is 10 days behind the five-year average pace, and harvested hay is less than half of what is normally harvested by this time of year.

Despite the challenges from Mother Nature, farmers are pressing forward. The following Farm Bureau members were contacted June 6, 7 and 8 for a planting update. Here is what they reported at that time:

• Calvin Aicholz, Clermont – Aicholz was only 10 percent planted and estimated he is five weeks behind on the sweet corn, green beans and tomatoes he plants for his farm market. He also rents ground and said the man who farms it didn't have the soybeans planted yet. He hadn't noticed more insects, but said the weeds were getting so high that it was hard to get a good kill on them. Aicholz reported too many 2-inch rains is what is hurting the most, as is the cold weather. "The 2 inches of rain on this ground keeps you out for several days," he said. Typically he puts up the farm market around July 1; this year he anticipates it going up Aug. 1.

• Roger Baker, Wayne – Baker was 85 percent planted. Normally he said they are done and all the hay is made. He said, "Some is made, some is not made and some is getting wet." His wheat looks pretty good. "On our farm we've been pretty fortunate, but there's talk around town about slugs and wireworms attacking corn," he said. The remaining 15 percent he needed to plant was in silage corn and soybeans which he plants on bottom ground. He said it’s too early to tell how the crops will fare, but he felt he had a good stand of corn so far, and that beans notoriously can take a lot. "This is why we farm. We may complain but we embrace the challenges," he said.

• Allen Bohman, Darke – Bohman was finished June 2, compared to May 7 last year and the last day of April in 2000. Bohman said the northern area of the county was fortunate. He received 6 inches of rain in April and 5 inches in May, and the rainfall was spread out over the month. He said he had to skip using 2,4-D and had to up the usage of Roundup to handle the weeds, which he described as tougher and bigger this year. He planted 16 acres of corn on May 6 and it took three weeks for him to see it. "It finally came. I thought of tearing it out," he said. "If I didn't get it in the last of May, I would've switched to beans," he said. "But I wanted the corn. There is a lot of corn usage in the county, and I'm thinking prices will hold pretty well in this area," he said.

• Jim Cessna, Wood – Cessna is 95 percent planted; usually he likes to be done by June 1. He describes the season as unusual – wetter than what he would call normal, "But you just deal with it," he said. He expects corn yields to be lower because the 10th of May "seems to be the magical date around here" and he's seen "a lot of planting done after" that time, he said, adding even some replanting has occurred.

• Tom Jolly, Vinton – Jolly is a beef cattle farmer, who raises 45 acres of corn. He said his hay and pastures are looking good. The rain is really making the grass grow, and giving his cattle plenty to eat. "As long as the cows are getting plenty to eat, that is my primary focus," he said. "The weeds are growing good, but that's nothing out of the ordinary," he said. "I can't complain. The cattle have more to eat than they've ever had." He said he is delayed a few weeks in putting up hay, but he sees no problems yet.

• Rick King, Paulding – King finished with corn and soybeans June 1, which is only 1 1/2 weeks later than usual, he said. His wheat is thin, "it looks good from the road, but I'm guessing there is a lot of disease in it," he said. He called the weeds worse than normal, but planned to follow his usual herbicide routine. He said he doesn't think Paulding County is much above normal in rainfall, however the amount received and the cold kept people out of the fields, he said. "There will be some idle acres in the county on corn," he said. "There are quite a few fields that still need soybeans planted."

• Jeff Sollars, Fayette – Sollars said he finished planting corn approximately May 20 and soybeans June 2, putting him about two weeks behind last year. He said wheat looks good and the weeds are under control. He noticed some flea beetles early on when the weather was cool, but as the weather has warmed and the corn started growing, he hasn't had to spray. Sollars said his area is a little better off. "We had a day or two here and there to get crops planted," he said. "The biggest thing is that crops have been planted in poor, wet conditions and it needs to dry," he said.

• Janet Stacy, Washington – The Stacys raise strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe. Overall, Stacy said this year's season is better than last year. "The most rain we've had happened yesterday (June 6). The hail storm April 28 bruised our strawberries and really scared us," Stacy said. "We were within a week and a half of starting to pick." She estimates they probably lost 70 percent of their strawberry crop, yet the recent hot and dry weather has helped the berries. Stacy said other than the hail, it has been business as usual. "We try to stay focused and make the best of what we have," she said.

For additional crop report statistics, visit the Featured Links section of the Ohio Farm Bureau Web site, www.ofbf.org