The fast-moving storm that caused massive crop damage in Iowa, mostly left a trail of obliterated houses, grain bins and other out-buildings when it reached the Michiana area last week.
That trail of destruction came in the form of two EF-1 tornadoes — one in northeastern Kosciusko County and the other in southeastern St. Joseph County — and it has left several area farms scrambling to rebuild as quickly as possible.
At the Laidig Farms along Riley Road, eight massive grain bins were destroyed, roofs were torn off several buildings used for hogs and machine sheds were severely damaged, said Zac Coffel, an employee at the farm.
“We have a lot to get done,” Coffel said, adding that the hogs had to be temporarily relocated until the buildings can be restored and they’re hopeful that at least some of the grain bins can be replaced before harvest.
And just down the road, Brandon Buss and a friend were busy trying to safely take down a machine shed that was among the extensive damage on the farm he works just southwest of Wakarusa.
Beyond the machine shed, one storage bin was destroyed and three others were damaged, but Buss is hopeful that most of the work can be completed before the crops are ready for harvesting
Despite the widespread damage to buildings, the storm largely spared the crops in the Michiana region that are looking pretty healthy despite the high heat and long gaps between rainfall this summer.
Prior to the storm — technically referred to as a derecho — the USDA indicated that corn and soybean crops were looking good across most of the nation. As a result, there hasn’t been an enormous spike in corn and soybean prices, even with the heavy damage in Iowa.
“We know it’s bad,” Roger Mochel, manager of Frick Services in Wyatt, said of the damage in Iowa. “But we might not know just how bad it was for several more weeks.”
Mochel said prices for corn and soybeans were starting to edge up a bit as the value of the dollar is low, resulting in more exports of agricultural products. Even then, prices are still low and should have little to no impact on consumers.
Michael Langemeier, an agricultural economist at Purdue University, agreed with that assessment, and pointed out that before the storm, the USDA also was projecting that corn prices would be the lowest they’ve been since 2006.
“It takes a large change to get a significant price impact,” he said, doubting that consumers will notice any significant consequences because of the crop damage in Iowa or other states hard hit by the derecho.
August 20, 2020 at 05:05PM
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As Michiana farms scramble to rebuild after tornadoes, corn crops are still healthy - South Bend Tribune
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