by Tom Chillemi
Weather is just an inconvenience to many. But a farmer’s success or failure depends on getting the right weather at the right time.
Ronnie Russell, manager of Corbin Hall Farm near Water View, has been farming nearly 60 years and this year has been a “challenge.”
There are few other businesses that carry the risks that farming does.
Farmers pray for rain, but too much can be nearly as bad as a drought.
This growing season started with a wet cold April. “It was very challenging to get the crops in,” said Russell. He had to replant some corn that had “drowned” in water-saturated soil. “Farms to the north had acres and acres of drowned corn.”
In May it warmed up and Russell’s corn took off and looked really great, except for areas where it had drowned. Russell planted soybeans, but each time a 2-3 inch rain drowned the seeds…
