Limited Rainfall in South-Central South Dakota Helping Spring Crops Progress

Platte and Kimball, South Dakota need more rain. Even so, Blake Foxley, who farms with his family in those areas, is not too upset by the condition of his growing crop since planting began in early May.

“We started seeing those soil temps climbing up and getting up there; we got started the first week of May, toward the end of the first week of May,” said Foxley, a member of the South Dakota Soybean Association board as a Corteva Young Leader. “But once we got started, you know, as dry as we were, we didn't really get stalled out. I think there was one bout in there where we got rained out for a couple of days but then kept going and got everything wrapped up within a few weeks. So, everything went really well. And now our crops are coming up good. A little bit of rain we got lately is really helping some of the spring crop along.”

The south-central part of South Dakota where Foxley farms with his father, his uncle and his cousin, is commonly short of rainfall. For now, however, he says there are fortunate exceptions.

“We've gotten a little bit of rain here in the last couple of weeks that really helps keep things going, but by no means will fill the soil profile,” he said. “We're not going to climb out of the drought due to a few inches of rain. So, it's going to take a little more than that.”

The June 9^th U.S. Drought Monitor for South Dakota shows both Platte and Kimball in severe to extreme drought conditions. Foxley says he deliberately avoids looking at the maps, instead judging the adequacy of precipitation by the condition of his crops. This season’s rainfall, he says, has so far been enough for some, but not all his production.

“Crops are looking pretty good. The real crop, spring crops, are looking pretty good across the board. I can't really say the same about the winter wheat coming out of last fall and through a dry winter,” said Foxley, adding, “That took a pretty hard hit.”

Foxley is coping with high input costs, the result of current tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Like most farmers, Foxley laid in fertilizer and fuel supplies before the brunt of the conflict-related price hikes. To his relief, prices for off-the-road diesel, the fuel that powers his farm equipment, fell before he had to buy more.

“I did just order some fuel here today actually,” said Foxley, on June 11^th, “and the price has come down a good 50, 60, right close to 70 cents from the highs when I was pricing it closer to the beginning of the crisis there at the Strait of Hormuz.”