Last May, a drought. This May, the second-wettest May on record. How Manitowoc County farmers are coping.
MANITOWOC – Farmers who faced drought in spring and summer 2023 are wishing for a little less rain now.
In case you haven’t noticed, many recent days have been dark, cloudy and wet.
Manitowoc County saw a record amount of rainfall in May, more than doubling its average for the month. The county received 7.92 inches in May 2024, compared with an average 3.07 inches, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
All the rain has kept many farmers off the fields, according to Angie Ulness, agriculture educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension Office in Manitowoc County. This comes at a time when they are ready to cut the first batch of alfalfa for cow feed and get corn planted.
Under wet soil conditions, the use of heavy tractors can compact the dirt. Once the soil is compacted, tilling often leads to the formation of uneven, large soil clods that make it difficult for farmers to properly prepare seedbeds and can make coverage of the seeds inconsistent.
“We have some farmers who really want to get out there, but I tell them to wait a bit longer,” Ulness said.
Rain fell unevenly throughout Manitowoc County, with one area receiving an inch during a storm and another getting 4 inches.
“There was a lot of variations in the east and west sides of the county,” Ulness said.
The good news is the sunny, warm weather earlier in spring meant farmers planted soybeans, alfalfa and other crops ahead of schedule. Ulness noted Manitowoc County farmers have planted 85% of their corn for this year.
Farmers were about a week ahead of schedule before the rain, she said.
Now, topsoil has 33% surplus moisture and farmers can’t cut their forage (or hay) to feed cows. Alfalfa yields about four crops a season, and if is cut too late, it is leggy — more stems and less leaves — and is does not provide ideal nutrition for herds.
“There’s a lot of hay out there that hasn’t been harvested,” Ulness noted. “Farmers are running out of feed.”
Some farmers have turned to buying feed from other farmers, she said.
The oversaturated soil and standing water in fields points to the severity of this spring’s wet trend.
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May was among the top 10 wettest months for Manitowoc County. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, September 1986 holds the record for the most rain recorded since data collection began in 1895: 12.14 inches. August 1924 came in second place with nearly 11 inches.
More recently, August 2021 hit seventh place with 8.16 inches. May 2024 wasn't far behind, taking the eighth spot at 7.92 inches. May 2004 is the wettest May on record with 9.12 inches.
The good news is Manitowoc County, and most of Wisconsin, is no longer considered in drought status after all the recent rain. And it helps after a mild winter with less than usual snowfall, Ulness said.
“Farmers are used to it, but it’s frustrating that you can’t control Mother Nature,” she said. “This time last year we were in a drought.”
The area will see plenty of dry, hot, sunny weather this summer, too, Ulness predicted.
“The weather is getting more volatile because of the climate,” she said. “You just have to roll with the punches.”
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Contact reporter Patti Zarling at [email protected] or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on X @PGPattiZarling and on Instagram @PGPatti.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc rain leads to second-wettest May, putting farmers behind