7-10 days is the answer. Do you know what the question is? On my farm in Manhattan we received almost as much rain in the last 11 days than the previous 4 months. Seven straight days of measurable rain ended our current drought. It sure is amazing how we can go from such dry conditions to an abundance of rain quickly with a weeklong flow of gulf moisture coming up the Mississippi River Valley.
Standing water in a growing crop can be very detrimental. Saturated soils produce anaerobic conditions that can inhibit root growth and nutrient uptake as well as cause a loss of nutrients through denitrification and leaching. Soil, and the nutrients in the soil, can also be lost due to erosion. Water standing for too long will eventually cause plant death.
There were many crop acres helped by the rain, which was very needed. One could speculate that the multiple low-lying areas hurt by the drowning of crops and excessive soil moisture probably offset the financial gain to the majority of the acres that needed rain. Almost every year has multiple occurrences of inadequate or excessive rains. There is rarely a “perfect” year.
I have had a saying for my entire adult life. “Never turn down rain.” That saying has annoyed my friends more than once. I believe that rule should apply to most in farming, unless they live in flood prone areas. The reality is the drought affects every acre; the flood affects a much smaller percentage.
Here is a shocker; my life would probably be much better off if most of my farming friends suffered drought every summer. I can make a legitimate argument that my income would thrive in drier years.
I could elaborate on many reasons why I believe this, but simply put, my farm’s financial success is very diversified. The reality is I would probably make more money and my daily farm life would be less frustrating during dry weather. Most of my farm friends are not as diversified as me; a drought may devastate their corn or soybean crops and their livelihoods. Or would it?
With that being said, many farmers have crop insurance, so in the end, most would probably survive through dry years. The markets would react to provide higher prices, and insurance payments might also be triggered. Insurance usually will not guarantee a profit but in most years would probably prevent major loss.
The question that belongs with my opening sentence is: How long after a mosquito egg is submerged in water does it take for the larva to pupate into a female mosquito that will try to bite you? 7-10 days. The CDC has a great flyer on the mosquito. It also says the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, prefers to live near and bite people and only flies a few blocks during its lifetime.
That is just another reason why I should change my saying about rain. Maybe I will now say, “I like it hot and dry, dry enough to make the momma mosquito cry.”
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