Are North Dakota Crops OK After Last Week’s Unprecedented Storm?

Last week, North Dakota was hit with a deadly storm that caused immediate and apparent agricultural damage, with long-term impacts for growers now coming to light.

North Dakota Meteorologist Dean Wysocki said in his 30-plus years in the business, he’s never seen a storm like this one. He shared in his Weather and Ag in Focus podcast on Monday, “It was literally a hurricane that was parked over the central and eastern part of the state. Never seen anything like that before.”

Wysocki’s cohost, ag expert Bridgette Readel, estimated 100 miles by 100 miles of damage, based on the reports she’s heard. “It’s unreal,” she said.

Crops sustained immediate damage, and there are consequences that will last at least into harvest. Here’s a closer look.

Corn and Soybean Conditions Decline

The storm occurred near the end of the latest USDA Crop Progress reporting period — the week ending June 22. Correlated with the timing of the storm is a decline in crop conditions, primarily corn and soybeans.

North Dakota’s corn was rated 64% good/excellent the week ending June 15, but that percentage dropped to 55% the week ending June 22. 

Soybeans in the state fared similarly. The percentage of good/excellent soybeans sank from 63% the week ending June 15 to 57% the week ending June 22. 

Sixty-six percent of North Dakota’s spring wheat crop was rated good/excellent the week ending June 15, and that number actually increased to 68% as of the latest report. However, a greater percentage of the crop rated poor/very poor by June 22 — that percentage increased from 3% to 7%.

The barley crop condition exhibited a similar trend. Although 67% of the crop was rated good/excellent by June 22, up from 65% the week prior, the portion of the crop rated poor/very poor increased week-over-week, from 2% to 4%.

The portion of North Dakota’s oat crop rated good/excellent increased from 55% the week ending June 15 to 63% the week ending June 22. But, like spring wheat and barley crops, the percentage of poor/very poor oats increased from 3% to 4% week-over-week.

Finally, the state’s pasture and range conditions exhibited a decline. Although 54% of the state’s pasture and range was in good/excellent condition the week ending June 15, that percentage dropped to 52% by June 22.

It remains to be seen if crop conditions decline further in the next report.

‘No Crop Whatsoever’ in Some Fields

North Dakota farmers had just wrapped up soybean planting the week ending June 22, and emergence had reached 86%, according to USDA. The storm wiped out some of those young plants.

“We had soybeans planted into cornfields from last year, and so you have stalks and you still have plant material in the field,” Readel said. Because of that, the storm “just scrubbed out all those young soybeans, so we have areas where we have no crop whatsoever,” she said.

Readel said there’s something she’s more concerned about than the crop damage. “The number of bin sites, grain handling systems, grain bins, [and] farm equipment that’s damaged is going to really impede harvest,” she said. “There are four elevators right around me that are all damaged, and they would be receiving grain.”

North Dakota Department of Agriculture Response

On Monday, North Dakota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring issued a statement about the storm. 

“My sympathies are with those in Enderlin that experienced the tragic loss of friends, neighbors, and loved ones,” Goehring said. “We are saddened by the losses and devastation caused to many of our communities throughout the state.”

“I have received reports of extensive damage to farms, grain handling systems, grain bins, equipment in buildings, and irrigation systems, as well as significant damage to powerlines in our communities,” he continued. “We recognize the extreme challenges our producers will face this harvest season with little capacity to store grain at harvest time. We will continue to work with the governor’s office and local communities to help assess the impacts.”