By Jolene Farley
Rock County officials will meet today to assess crop damage caused by a lack of rain in the region.
The purpose of the meeting is to decide whether an application for disaster declaration is necessary, according to Roger Carlson, director of Rock County's Farm Service Agency.
"There is certainly some crop loss in the county," Carlson said. "The question is how much, and whether we are eligible for a disaster declaration."
A disaster declaration is typically issued if there is 30 to 35 percent crop loss in the county.
"It looks like it is about as bad in this county as any year of drought I've seen here," Carlson said.
Rainfall in Rock County has been below normal for the last five months, according to Carlson. Rainfall totals are reported from five locations in Rock County to the Soil and Water Conservation Agency. The numbers are averaged together for monthly totals.
This year, Rock County received 1.37 inches of rain in March, 2.32 inches in April, 1.8 inches in May and 1.8 inches in June this year.
In a normal year, Rock County would receive 1.95 inches of rain in March, 2.58 inches in April, 3.12 inches in May and 3.9 inches in June.
Totals for July haven't been reported yet, but the normal rainfall for the month is 3.66 inches. Carlson knows rainfall in the county for July was below normal.
"I'd be surprised if we had 2 inches (of rain) in July," he said. "I think it's going to be between one and two inches."
If rain falls in the next week or so, it will benefit the soybeans, but July is a more crucial month than August for corn, so corn yield may already be severely affected.
Beaver Creek farmer Jim Willers said it might take a week or two to determine how his crops will fare in Rock County, but the outlook isn't good.
"They are slowly deteriorating a little every day," he said. "The northern part of Rock County is drier than the southern part. The lighter soils are already burned."
About 250 acres Willers farms in Pipestone County received about an inch of rain from Sunday's storm. However, some corn on those acres was already too far gone before the storm, according to Willers.
Rain could save 180 acres of soybeans he has planted in northern Rock County.
Carlson, Rock County Emergency Coordinator Kyle Oldre, Natural Resources and Conservation Services representative Dave Rose and a representative from the Rock County Extension office will attend today's meeting.
They will present their findings to the Rock County Commissioners during their regular County Board meeting Tuesday.