Heavy summer rains impact Valley crops

There was definitely no shortage of wet days this summer; with over 20 inches of rainfall at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport it makes 2021 the second wettest summer recorded, but how has the wet season impacted crops across the valley?
"Comparing it to last year, we've been real dry starting out which we need to plant and then adequate rains throughout summer are real good for corn, soybeans, a lot of your vegetables but makes it harder for hay crops," says Evan Schaefer, a Valley farmer and member of the Mahoning County Farm Bureau.
Heavy rain and flooding across the Valley is something that's becoming more and more common and Valley farmers are adjusting because of that.
"As a farmer, we are changing it up a lot, we aren't tilling as much, we are trying to do minimal tillage to no-till. We also do cover crops a lot, the idea of having a crop growing year-round holds that soil in place with less erosion and all-around are better for the environment," adds Schaefer.
In some cases, those heavy rains over the summer benefited Valley crops but could they have a negative impact on crops as we head into the fall season.
"With those timely rains come more pests, I'm sure you've heard of the Fall armyworm in the grasses and we got diseases and there's plenty of stuff that makes farming challenging," adds Schaefer.
As of late August, Ohio corn yields are forecasted to reach a record high of 652 bushels, up 16 percent from 2020.
Ohio soybean is set to hit a record of 43.7 million bushels produced and hay producers are expected to harvest over 2 million tons across the state.