The wettest weather in Ohio's recorded history has stalled planting throughout the state, and forecasts for the rest of June aren’t looking any sunnier.
Ohio is expected to get between 3 and 7 inches of rain in the next two weeks. The Ohio State University climate specialist Aaron Wilson says that means farmers may not be able to plant their soybean crops before July.
“Unfortunately, we see just a persistent moisture stream, a persistent opportunity for rainfall over the next 7-10 days," Wilson said. "The previous 12 months have been the wettest we’ve ever seen in the last 125 years, so I think that really puts into context the anomalous kind of situation we’re in right now.”
Ohio Farm Bureau spokesman Ty Higgins says farmers were hoping to substitute soybeans for disappointing corn crops, which were also affected by rain. Many farmers will lose a year of income if they aren't able to plant soon, Higgins says, though some of the loss will be covered by insurance.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of financial troubles for agriculture in Ohio due to the very wet 2019 planting season," Higgins said. "There is crop insurance for such an issue, but that certainly won’t be a full recovery for farmers.”
The national weather service predicts above-average precipitation will continue through August.
