Wet spring has caused some fields to be empty this spring
PRESQUE ISLE CO., MI -- Food prices could soon be on the rise.
There are flooding problems in the Midwest and also locally.
This year, farmers are having trouble getting their crops planted.
The old farmer's saying is corn should be knee high by the 4th of July. But some fields don't stand a chance. In Presque Isle County, several crops are suffering because of the amount if spring rain.
A birds eye view would show you the puzzle the Schalks are dealing with on their 600 acre farm near Rogers City in Presque Isle County; some fields are planted, some are not.
"Just in the past 24 hours, we got three inches of rain, so that's a lot at one time," explained farmer Melissa Schalk.
Their fields have been waterlogged all spring and because of this, 10 percent of their fields will be brown all summer long.
“We spent the money to disc, to plow, to spread the fertilizer and everything, and now it's just going to sit for the year, it's just too late to plant anything," said Schalk.
And that means this won’t be a bumper crop year.
“I think there will be a shortage, especially if they can't get it all in," said Carmen Church, the county executive director for the Farm Service Agency.
The final planting date for some crops was June 5th, and the Schalks’ story is echoed by several other farmers
“Their income is going to be lower because they can't plant their crops," said Church.
The Schalks say they're hoping that means higher selling prices for what they were able to get in the ground.
“We have to at least break even this year so we have that money set aside to buy the seed and everything else for next year," said Schalk.
And those brown fields could mean higher prices on the grocery store shelf.
And high prices on the commodities, like corn, could be the only thing that salvages for the poor spring growing season.
The Schalks say hay season has also been a problem. They have made one cut, but weren’t able to bundle it before it rained on it. They say that hay will be scrapped.
Carmen Church says if you’re a farmer, you can still apply for Prevented Planting problems you’ve experienced. The deadline was June 20th, but if you haven’t had a chance to get your field planted, they’ll accept the application.
Church also said the Farm Service Agency in Northern Michigan will apply for Emergency Designation, which will open the opportunity for farmers to file for disaster applications later this year.
