NEARING THE center of his field of early oats, Willie Trebesch of rural Sleepy Eye makes another round. Farmers who have begun to swath and combine winter wheat,rye and oats have estimated yields at 55 bushels per acre for winter wheat and up to 100 bushels per acre for early oats.(Photo by Steve Kohls)

With no precipitation and near-record highs forecast for Minnesota, area farmers say rain is vital within the next week to avoid severe damage to crops.

Though damage from drought conditions is not yet widespread, farmers say another week of high temperatures and hot winds will be highly detrimental, causing further reduction in yields.

“RAIN SURE will be welcome. We still can have a good crop if we get rain this week,”said John Fenske, Gaylord farmer.

Added Lafayette farmer Harold Olson:

“We’re going to need rain. It would sure help within a week.”

“IF WE have another week like this last week, all the crops are in danger,” said Frank Stuckey, agricultural instructor at New Ulm High School.

“I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve never seen it this dry during peak growing period. I don’t think people realize how serious this thing is if we don’t get moisture.”

Lighter soils especially are burning,Stuckey said. “There is no way you can manage those soils with this little moisture.”All possible means of moisture conservation are now exhausted, Stuckey stated.

“You just can’t go the whole month of July with less than half an inch of rainfall without loss,” said Stuckey. With corn in the critical pollination stage,Stuckey asserted there is no way to estimate the amount of damage done already, or what percentage of the yield will be lost at harvest.

Rain is needed this week, emphasized Richard Wilner, a member of the Hub Club of New Ulm, a group of area farmers and businessmen. Light soils are very bad, he said, and are starting to dry up completely.

“In the heavier soil there’s going to be some crop but it’s going to be hurt. It’s being hurt each day.”

Wilner also stated that water conservation measures are exhausted, and concluded:”There’s nothing more they (the farmers)can do — they’ve got to have rain — that’s it.”

“WE SURE could use a rain dance,”‘ said Hanska farmer Ivan Finstad.

“Another week of high heat with no moisture is sure going to show up even on the heavier soils’ crop,”‘ he said. Crops on heavier soils don’t look bad, but there will be a reduction of yield, Finstad said, and corn on light soils — on hills,for example — is definitely beyond help already, he stated.

Highs in the 90s or above are predicted for Minnesota today, with zero chance of precipitation. The heat wave is expected to continue all week.

“The heat is shriveling them up,” Olivia farmer Ernest Serbus said of his corn. He assessed the state of his crop as “not too good.

“Windy days really draw up the moisture,”Olson said.He expects his yield to be reduced “a little.”

“Moisture is down three or four inches in the ground,” said Fenske. His corn “looks pretty good yet,” but he expects “some yield reduction.”

“In general, my crop is still looking good,”said Finstad. “There’s nothing we can do about it, you know.”

New Ulm Daily Journal

July 29, 1975