Delayed planting resources help farmers mitigate weather issues

Throughout Michigan and the Midwest, the prolonged wet weather and flooding in spring 2019 put farmers in a difficult financial position.

Throughout Michigan and the Midwest, the prolonged wet weather and flooding in spring 2019 put farmers in a difficult financial position. Unprecedented rainfall forced farms to delay planting and greatly adjust management practices — just 68% of the corn crop and 70% of the soybean crop were planted. MSU Extension’s statewide network of agricultural educators were quick to respond to this situation by tracking growing conditions, working individually with farmers, hosting crop update sessions and writing educational articles. Information detailed how farmers could adjust to inhospitable conditions, make difficult choices and apply for crop damage assistance. Since this issue has the potential to greatly affect farm income, educational efforts included programming dedicated to assisting farmers under stressful conditions.

  • Online delayed planting educational materials were viewed nearly 25,000 times between June and August 2019.
  • More than 600 participants attended in-person informational sessions discussing strategies for handling delayed planted acreage between June and August 2019.
  • Weekly virtual breakfast meetings were amended to discuss delayed planting strategies. Nearly 600 participants attended the live webinars between April and July 2019. Others viewed the webinars on YouTube more than 1,000 times and Facebook posts reached almost 5,000 people.

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2018-19 Legislative Report cover

2018-19 Legislative Report

The 2018-19 MSU AgBioResearch-MSU Extension Legislative report contains stories on the latest developments in MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension.

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