According to Michigan Farm News, a publication of the Michigan Farm Bureau, 43 counties in Michigan have been approved as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. St. Clair and Sanilac counties are included in the designation. Both counties, along with most of the state, were hit hard by an extremely wet spring and cold temperatures, as well as a dry summer. Some fields even went unplanted as they did not dry out in time for planting. For some fields that did get planted, a recent foot of snow did not help at harvest time.
Now, with the federal designation, farmers have eight months to apply for emergency loans. Croswell area farmer, Dennis Gardner, told us that it has been a very stressful year. He said his family farm still has 250 acres of corn to harvest along with 200 acres of soybeans and the fall tillage still needs to be done as winter approaches. He thinks that those farmers who don’t have crop insurance will indeed have to apply for these federal loans. Mr. Gardner has already collected on his crop insurance and may have to again, as yields are way down. He hopes this will “definitely be a year not to repeat anytime soon”. While no farmer looks forward to taking out a federal loan, it may be what is needed to get through this year for local farmers hit hard by a stressful growing season.
