News

Nebraska farmer surveys devastation after storms flatten bins, damage crops

A south-central Nebraska farmer says he’s picking up the pieces after severe storms decimated his crops and operation this past weekend.

Doug Saathoff farms near Trumbull, and he says high winds, hail, heavy rain and a possible tornado left a path of destruction on Saturday. “We had 7 bins standing and they’re all laying on the ground or out in the field. We have a ton of crop damage in a big area. A lot of pivots are flipped over. It was a wild and crazy night”

He tells Brownfield, “A lot of the soybeans I’ve seen are done for. They’re just sticks in the ground. It’s bare dirt. You can’t tell what’s been planted there. We’re in a big seed corn area. A lot of seed corn acres got hit. I think almost every acre that the Doniphan plant takes care of got hit. It’s going to be a short harvest around here.”

Saathoff says he won’t replant corn. “I think it’s so heavily bruised, if we do get another wind, it’s going to be laying on the ground later on in the year. For soybeans, there is still some yield potential for planning beans by July 1. It would be nice to cover the ground because there will be a lot of bare dirt through the summer.”

He says flooding has also been a concern since the area received almost 4 inches of rain.