Storm left some area farmers reeling
By Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune, Idaho | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"This storm was widespread over the county," Herres said. "There were hits and misses, but there were many 100 percent losses."
Herres said it has been reported that Garfield County has not suffered such hail damage in at least a couple of decades.
Half-inch-sized hailstones, along with winds clocked between 40 and 70 mph, ripped through
Whitman County Extension Agent
"There are some areas that have wiped out the crop, but here it was very patchy," VanVleet said. "There was a five-mile path of hail that pulverized the crop. If it's close to harvest it will flatten them like a pancake -- shell out the heads, snap off stems -- it looks like you took a lawn mower out there."
Crops that were a little greener, he added, might have been more resistant to the hail.
Whitman County Commissioner
Kinzer said he's been farming the same area for 40 years and the last time he saw this much damage was in 1978, when his crop was not insured for hail.
Although he's been hit three or four times since, it's not been a consistent problem. But he was insured for hail and fire this year.
Kinzer said he's expecting crop yields to be down by more than half.
"This year, the wheat was growing on some really nice flats and it would have gone over 100 bushels (per acre)," Kinzer said. "I'm hoping we can recover 50 bushels."
Herres said most farmers were covered with multi-peril insurance that is federally regulated. If the crop is a total loss and it would cost more to run the equipment than what the farmer could salvage, they may receive permission not to harvest.
"But most go ahead and harvest, because there is still some standing grain and they want to keep the production as close to a normal year as possible," Herres said.
Hedberg may be contacted at [email protected] (208) 983-2326.
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