Spreading nitrogen-based urea fertilizer, William Thiele crosses from a stretch of healthy corn to a section of the field effected by too much water from heavy rains this season. Excessive rains and overly saturated portions of land have stunted growth among crops planted in the same field as healthier crops in soil was less saturated and able to hold fertilizer. Heavy rains have also caused the slug population to flourish in portions of the farm, decimating crops in the process.

CABOT — An adage in farming says that corn should be knee-high by the Fourth of July.

Some of the corn on the Thiele Farm is a deep shade of green that rises above the knee, and some of the corn in the same field is a pale green-yellow color that is closer to the ankle.

Edward Thiele, who runs the family farm with his wife, Lorraine, and twin sons, William and James, is making a last-ditch effort to revive the weaker corn, which he called “embarrassing.”

Different rows of corn planted in the same field at the same time can appear differently, depending on how well the rain drains from the field and the location of field drainage systems, he said.

“Adding nitrogen is a normal thing, but this year it needs more than normal because of the weather. We add a small amount while planting, but that doesn’t supply all the plants’ needs,” Thiele said.

The stunted corn is the result of excessive rainfall that is causing nitrogen, a nutrient vital to healthy corn, to leach or volatilize away.

Other farmers are facing the same situation with their corn crops, but applying nitrogen at this point in the growing season is a risk-versus-reward decision, said Justin Brackenridge, agronomy educator for the Penn State Extension in Butler County.

This is an excerpt — pick up Sunday’s Butler Eagle to read the full article.