It’s no secret Seward County felt the impact of the storm that barreled through the region the night of June 14. Local farmers are just now starting to get things back on track.
Well, sort of.
Some farmers have already replanted their crops, depending on insurance claims and the amount of damage they experienced. They’re now dealing with tipped over pivots.
Farmers use center pivots to irrigate their fields throughout the season. The recent storm not only damaged sprinkler heads but even tipped the pivots over.
Pat Mullally, who lives about 7 miles west of Seward, had six center pivots overturned. Jeff Luebbe, who lives about half a mile south of Goehner, had three.
Mullally, who replanted 800 acres of beans and corn, has already been busy with clean-up, taking the center pivots apart.
“It usually takes about a day,” Mullally said. “The biggest issue now is getting them replaced.”
The supply chain issues seemingly impacting every industry in recent months are also delaying farm equipment. On the bright side, Mullally said they keep the working parts and might even be able to make a short, 4-tower center pivot out of them.
Luebbe, who also replanted 800 acres of beans and corn, said he hopes to have his center pivot by the end of July. Since Mullally had a few more knocked over, his timeline is a bit more spread out.
“First three center pivots are coming in on July 7,” Mullally said. “The other three will be in August.”
The National Weather Service reported damaging winds 75 to 115 mph and also wind-driven hail 1 to 3 inches in diameter.
“I haven’t seen anything like this,” Mullally said. “I’ve even talked to other farmers who have said the same thing.”
Despite the damage, both remain upbeat when it comes to crop production.
“Our yields will be down, but it should still be a decent year,” Mullally said.
On a state level, it takes 30 days from the day of the event before sending it on to FEMA to assess if there will be any disaster benefits.
