Early signs of drought conditions

FORT WAYNE Ind. (WANE) -- While some of us are enjoying the sunshine and the mild temperatures, there are some that are hoping for some rain. So far this spring we have been very dry. If we don’t see some rain soon we could be looking at a drought.

As of Wednesday, we are just about one inch low on rain for the month and just about two and a quarter inches down for the year. Although we aren’t in a drought yet, we are getting close. Some crops are starting to show the effects of a drought.

The early crops like wheat are close to being harvested. However some farmers are reporting that their plants are a bit small. This is due to the recent lack of rain. “A lot of the early season stuff you’re beginning to see some signs of struggling, because of the lack of moisture” said Gonzalee Martin at the Allen County Extension Office. However he also stated that it’s not a lost cause and a little bit of rain will help bring them back.

Crops that are just going into the ground like corn are ok, for now. The season started off much better than last year due to the lack of rain. Now that the seeds are planted, they need that rain to take off. “Right now it's not a major situation but it's something in this industry that we take note of, we start looking at it, and we start thinking of some of the things that we may have to do if the moisture doesn't come” said Gonzalee Martin.