Farmers waiting for rain after stretch of dry weather

SHIAWASEE CO., Mich. (WNEM) - May has been a miserable month for those who depend on rain, and it’s showing no signs of letting up this week.

David Eickholt, a farmer who owns Eickholt Seed Farms, said things are OK for now, but the clock is ticking.

“The crops are doing fairly well, but everything is in need of rain,” Eickholt said.

He said his wheat crop is on schedule, but that’ll change if the skies don’t open up soon.

“If we don’t get rain in the next 10 days or so, we’ll have yield reduction,” Eickholt said.

Despite the dry weather, Eickholt has been able to get all his crops in the ground, planting seeds deeper to access any available moisture beneath the soil.

He has been farming for 52 years and said he can’t remember a growing season like this.

“It’s unprecedented because it’s so early. We’re used to having dry weather at the end of June, July, and August. But not in the month of May,” he said.

Eickholt said if this dry weather continues, pests could be a problem.

“It can bring on armyworm, and they can devastate your crop. But there’s also grasshoppers,” he said.

Those issues could be solved with some rain, but for now, all Eickholt can do is wait and see what Mother Nature brings.

“You know, years ago I would’ve gotten excited. But I’ve been through this long enough that there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s out of your control. So just continue on as you normally would,” Eickholt said.

Eickholt said he does have crop insurance.

To get the latest on rain chances, stay with the First Alert TV5 weather forecast.

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