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Drought to gully washer

Widespread rains over the past few days are likely to knock out much of Michigan’s drought area.

More than 90 percent of the state was still in some form of drought as of last Thursday, but Michigan Farm Bureau’s Theresa Sisung tells Brownfield there’s been a significant shift following weekend storms.

“We have an area across the midsection of the state, from the southwest corner up into the Saginaw Bay, that saw anywhere up to eight inches of rain,” she says.

Unfortunately, she says there are still areas that are too dry while others are now too wet.

“We’ve had a whole lot of things, but overall, our crop actually does look pretty good,” she says.

The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes in Michigan Saturday, two in Ionia County and one in Clare, Huron, and Mecosta Counties.

Sisung says the moisture and more in the forecast could be problematic for dry beans and wheat, which is getting closer to harvest, but the break in the weather will help.