Grey clouds bring no relief from drought
By Joseph L. Murphy
As a thick layer of grey clouds diminished the hot summer sun Don Swanson, an Iowa Soybean Association member, walked through one of his soybean fields near Ottumwa. The clouds could not be more misleading. It would appear, if you did not know we were facing a record drought, that it could rain at any moment. But like many other days this summer, rain never fell and his soybean and corn fields would not receive the relief they so desperately needed.
Don Swanson looks over a soybean field near his home in Ottumwa that has been stunted by the dry conditions. (Photo: Joseph L. Murphy)
“We got off to a great start this spring,” Swanson said. “We started planting corn in early April, and we got the soybeans in without any problems. At this point, the soybeans are showing good color, but there are a lot of abortion in pods, and I think they’ve gone backwards in height as they’ve tried to conserve all the moisture they can.”
Swanson reached down and pulled one of his soybean plants from the field and instinctively examined it while shaking his head. While looking at the plants health, he voiced his concern that the drought conditions will soon be bringing other problems.
“I’m very nervous about spider mites and aphids coming in,” Swanson said while looking at the leaves of the soybean plant. ”We’re still optimistic and as weather conditions warrant we’ll still fight the bugs.”
A farmer holds a normal ear of corn next to one that has been impacted by drought. (Photo: Joseph L. Murphy)
But the outlook for rain to come to the rescue is looking as dark like as the skies above. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the drought to persist or intensify through October, 31.
“There’s nothing in the forecast,” Swanson said about the chance for rain. “The question now will be analyzing our crop insurance guarantees to look at economic thresholds. We’ll have to see if there’s a chance to continue to invest in this crop to provide an economic return above the federal threshold.”
Swanson like many other farmers will continue to watch the situation and work his hardest to grow a successful crop. “Farmers aren’t good at giving up,” Swanson said.
Originally published for the Iowa Soybean Association. Find more great stories at: www.iasoybeans.com/news
For more than two decades, Joseph L. Murphy has had the pleasure of meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life through photography. He has photographed presidents and heads of state, traversed the winding alleyways of the Fes Medina in Morocco, photographed the sprawling countryside and people that make up Argentina and covered events that have defined the U.S. Most recently, Murphy’s travels have taken him to Cambodia, Mexico, China, Vietnam and Ecuador.
He has spent the past 20 years specializing in agriculture photography for multiple organizations, publications and marketing projects.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, Murphy determined at an early age that his love of photography would shape his vision for life.