Fall rains cause shift in planting
Staff writer
Rain is typically a farmer’s blessing, but last fall’s rains wreaked some havoc on this year’s wheat crop.
County extension agent Ricky Roberts said heavy fall rains made it hard to get into fields to plant wheat and get wheat seeds to wash out of the ground.
“We didn’t get as many acres put in the ground as we generally do,” Roberts said.
Roberts said his guess is that farmers will grow more soybeans this year.
“In the last couple of years, soybeans have been really good to us,” Roberts said.
Roberts said wheat, soybeans and corn are primary crops in Marion County.
As for this year’s weather, Roberts hopes for good rain.
Produce grower Ron Jirak, of Jirak Brothers Produce at Tampa, said rains earlier this season slowed things down at his farm, but things are back on track now.
“We deal with some kind of weather adversity every year,” Jirak said.
His cantaloupe crop is planted and other crops are being planted on time for sales to begin in late June, as is typical.