News

Derecho flattens some central Illinois crops, brings needed rain to others

A severe weather system that swept through a large section of central Illinois Thursday damaged some crops while bringing much needed rain to others.

Marty Marr grows corn and soybeans in Sangamon, Morgan and Logan counties and tells Brownfield an isolated section of their farm was hit by a derecho.

“We had several acres that were pretty well flattened and tossed around, twisted up, snapped off. It was a hard thing to watch. It looked like the crop had a little bit of potential with a good rain behind it, but that wind certainly changed the appearance of that field for sure.”

He says the derecho hit during a delicate time as corn was entering pollination and will have an impact on yield.

“I remember watching and seeing pictures of the derecho damage up in Iowa the last couple of years and they were able to harvest more than they thought they would in the end. So, hopefully that’s the case for us.”

But Marr says a majority of his crops are still standing and at the end of the day he is grateful they received up to an inch and a half of rain.

“We’ve got some crops we still feel very good about and we’re just wanting to get a good rain on everything to really get this crop moving again. We still have a lot to be thankful for.”

Prior to yesterday’s storm, Marr’s area was in moderate to severe drought according to the US Drought Monitor.

*Photo provided by Marty Marr