How Wet Weather can Affect Fields and Pastures

Jump straight to the problem you’re dealing with this list of covered topics!

• Soil Compaction
• Delayed Planting and Harvesting
• Disease and Pest Pressure

• Soil Run-off Erosion
• Waterlogged Crops and Pastures

Soil compaction is a process where soil particles are pressed together so tightly that it reduces a large amount of the pore space between particles. This keeps water from filtering through the ground, and makes it harder for plant roots to penetrate the soil to hunt for water and nutrients. In most conditions, very wet soil is more susceptible to compaction problems. When heavy machinery drives over wet soil, it compacts it down, sealing off the pores. As the ground dries again, it hardens into near rock like clumps, making it more difficult to break up. Heavy livestock traffic over a wet field can have a similar effect, with too much hoof traffic, fields become muddied messes.

The common suggestion for dealing with soil compaction is to avoid compacting your soil in the first place when possible. Keeping heavy machinery off fields and limiting time for grazing livestock in a pasture can do a lot to prevent compaction from happening. However, as the weather does not always conform to our preference, simply staying off the field may not be an option in every scenario.

Making sure your tires are filled to the appropriate pressure can help avoid some compaction. Properly filled tires, while they still cause compaction, can reduce the total surface area compacted, as a flatter tire will cover more surface area as the vehicle maneuvers. Agricultural drones can also be used for some operations, as their ability to fly over the field allows them to complete jobs without causing any compaction to the field or pasture.

Additionally, specific cover crop species can help reduce compaction. A great example is turnips or radishes, which can break up the soil for the next cash crop to enjoy. However, just planting a cover crop may not fix all your compaction issues,  so avoiding compacting your soil is a more effective strategy.

An overabundance of water can sweep away soils from an unprepared field or pasture, draining valuable nutrients like nitrogen. The soil can be swept nearby, or it could be taken as far as local rivers and waterways, never to be seen by the field or pasture again.  As the soil and nutrients are removed, the crops have fewer resources to grow with, often resulting in lowered crop yields. In addition, any added nutrients, pesticides, or other inputs have a chance of being washed away, requiring a re-application of expensive inputs.

A great option for helping to prevent some soil erosion is cover cropping practices. Having a residual cover on the surface helps prevent the water from washing away large quantities of soil and nutrients. Additionally, avoiding excess amounts of tillage can keep the soil from being as susceptible to water erosion.

According to Mahdi from Iowa State University, cover crops, permanent vegetation, strip cropping, and planting on the contour are all additional options that can be used in steep slope scenarios. While a small amount of erosion is typical, keeping the ground covered as much as possible helps to keep the soil in place.

A good practice for preventing soil compaction is avoiding running heavy machinery over it when wet. However, this good practice can lead to heavily delayed or prevented planting issues. (If you have a prevent plant or replant claim, make sure to contact your agent before replanting!) Even though it may be necessary, attempting to ignore the watery conditions and work through them can be problematic, depending on the amount of moisture. Machinery can become bogged down in muddy fields, and product inputs may not work properly. A damaged or gummed-up vehicle stuck in the field is far worse than a vehicle parked in the garage because of moisture levels.

Wet conditions can also delay harvesting, due to the potential for machines to get bogged down in watery muck. Heavily soaked crops can also cause problems for machinery trying to harvest, resulting in delays or additional work later.  While not driving on overly saturated fields in heavy machinery is preferred, sometimes the job must be done regardless to make sure the harvest can be collected in time.

As frustrating as it may be, waiting it out is one of the best mitigation practices for many of the potential problems that can arise from trying to work in soggy fields and pastures. But if there are not enough days left to wait out the wet weather, then a few things can be done to mitigate issues.

If available, use lighter machinery during wetter weather to cause less compaction from driving over fields.   Depending on the job that needs done, drones can find their time to shine when the ground is soggy, as they will not get stuck or cause compaction. Do note that many agricultural drones are not waterproof at this time, so flying while it is still raining may be a bad idea.

For harvesting, soggy grains can lead to mold issues. As such, it’s important to carefully dry out the harvested crop so that mold cannot spread. Even with careful drying it is possible to end up with vomitoxin-affected crops. If you want to learn more about vomitoxin, and how crop insurance works with it, take a look at our vomitoxin article!

Varying combine settings based on the crop type and how wet it is can help mitigate some issues that may arise when harvesting. If the crop is fairly wet, it may be more difficult for a combine to thresh and separate the grain, and poorly optimized settings can potentially damage more vulnerable crops when wet.

With heavy amounts of rain, a more visually obvious problem is heavy waterlogging, or flooding. Along with all the other issues caused by wet soils, when a plant is waterlogged or even submerged, it can cause negative grain yield impacts, root rot, stunted growth, and a potential for limited root growth. If the water is high enough to submerge the plant, it can also end up killing the crop.

In pastures, waterlogged areas can still be grazed, though animals typically prefer dry forage as opposed to soggy wet grasses. The main issue with these flooded zones is how quickly animals can compact the soil and damage the area with their hooves through repeated traversal and grazing. The damage that can be caused to a pasture through this is often referred to as “pugging”.  If a large portion of the pasture is flooded, the animals will have a higher chance of spending more time in the less flooded zone, which can increase the damage to that section of the pasture.

With lots of hoof damage, a pasture can become a bit of a muddy mess if there is enough water content. The mess can be problematic for livestock trying to graze the area. If un-mitigated, the damage can also last for quite some time before repairs bring it back up to full production.

As with many wet weather issues, proper preparation can help mitigate some of the problems. Having a well-managed drainage system in place can help alleviate high waters running the excess into a drainage ditch. This article also suggests that some forms of genetic engineering and biotechnology can develop crops with better waterlogging tolerance, allowing crops in wetter areas to be able to withstand the excess water more effectively (Recent Approaches for Mitigation of Waterlogging Stress in Agriculture).

Good soil management can also have an effect, one example being aerating the soil. Adding compost or manure can enhance the soil structure and increase drainage capacity. Cover crops and trees with expansive root systems have also been suggested as another tactic for enhancing soil structure to better handle waterlogging issues. Deep-rooted trees help by enhancing the soil structure and increasing the drainage capabilities of the area. As trees are a natural part of a silvopasture system, adding a few deep-rooted trees to your silvopasture may be a helpful practice if your pasture is prone to waterlogging and flooding.

For pugging damages, there are some options for repairs to the damaged sections of your pasture. This Kentucky Extension article includes several repair tactics for pugging damaged fields, though the best option is to avoid the damage in the first place when possible.

Warm, wet conditions are enjoyed by several types of plant diseases and fungi. Many Fungi especially like the wet conditions and can grow and spread much more quickly in them. Long periods of warm, wet weather can magnify the issue significantly. For example, the fungus Gibberella zeae, a major producer of vomitoxin, greatly favors warm, humid conditions both in the field and in storage. This allows it to spread rapidly through the grain or field and produce more of the contaminant.

In addition to the diseases, some pest insect species are likely to increase in number. As plants grow more slowly, and the water causes more rotting and decaying organic matter, pests attracted to the decaying material can find more favorable egg laying locations. The water can also cause the plant to be more susceptible to insects looking to feed off the crop. It is not all doom and gloom, however, as some insect species actually can face a reduction in numbers when fields are heavily saturated with water (How Will the Wet Spring Impact Field Crop Insects? – MSU).

It is not just plants that deal with the increased disease pressure. Wet conditions can also increase the chances of livestock diseases. Muddy wet soils can contain large numbers of bacteria, and any standing water in muddy areas that livestock attempt to drink from could be infested.  One such condition, often known as foot rot, occurs when the bacteria Fusobacterium necrophorum find their way into the target’s feet.  While possible to contract when not in contact with large amounts of water, the likelihood of infection increaes when the animal stands in wet areas for extended periods. This painful disease, if not treated, can cause swelling, pain, and eventually lameness. Additionally, if the weather gets colder while standing water or large amounts of mud are in the pasture, it can lead to hypothermia for calves born around that time.  (Dealing with Excessively Wet Conditions on Beef Cattle Operations – Mississippi State University Extension)

As the weather cannot be controlled, keeping ahead of disease presence during very wet and rainy periods can be a difficult task. Fungi especially tend to love the wet conditions. For fungi, fungicide application can help mitigate some of the damage, depending on the type of fungi encountered. Michigan State University suggests trying to apply rainfast fungicides ahead of a rainy period to help protect against fungal growth. The timing can vary depending on the scenario, but 24 hours before a rain is often suggested. Applying Pesticides and fungicides before plants have fully dried out after a rain can lower effectiveness.

Monitoring crops and livestock during wet periods can also help determine if action needs to be taken to mitigate beginning disease and pest problems. Providing medicine to animals that start showing signs of an infection early can help mitigate the impact of the disease. For livestock, making sure their sleeping areas, water, and any provided feed are as clean and dry as possible can significantly lower disease pressure.

Keeping your soil, crops, and livestock healthy in general helps mitigate damage when the disease and insect pressure ramp up. Crops and livestock that are already struggling will have a harder time recovering than strong, healthy plants and animals when unexpected bouts of wet weather linger.

A common factor with most wet weather mitigation tactics is proper prior preparation and maintenance. A healthy field or pasture with well-implemented management tactics is far more likely to be capable of handling an unexpected wet season.  In addition, managing the timing of different tasks can greatly decrease potential damage. Knowing when you can safely run machinery on the field without causing too much compaction, or understanding when to move livestock from pasture to pasture or remove them to prevent pugging, can help reduce many of the dangers of sodden wet field conditions.

Cover cropping can play a major role in mitigating many heavy rainfall issues. While usually beneficial, each operation needs to analyze whether cover crops would be useful for their specific situation. As we discussed in our cover cropping article, poor planning or incorrect usage of cover crops can have detrimental effects instead.

Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance is a risk management tool that is based on average rainfall over an area. The tool is designed to help ranchers in times of drought. Silveus’ agents use their expert knowledge and our advanced software to help you determine the best PRF risk management strategy tailored specifically for your operation. Want to see how it works? Connect with one of our agents today!