Farmers relieved USDA approves Indiana's disaster request

Help may be on the way for many farmers across the state.

Many say an unusually rainy summer has hurt harvest season this year.

Wednesday, the USDA approved relief loans for farmers in 53 Indiana counties.

Much needed relief, many local farmers say they can use.

One farmer says he lost almost 40 percent of his crops this year.

The string of heavy showers over the summer drowned a large portion of his plants.

Wednesday, however was a different story.

Farmers of Schrock Farms say the weather has been too dry this month.

And they say this is just another example of how this erratic harvest season has been brutal for farmers.

“We were drenched in water, today we were pumping water onto the fields," said Dave Schrock, Owner of Schrock Farms. "The fields are very dry.”

Schrock says he's left with a harvest badly damaged and a potential crisis that could hurt sales.

“We have about 25 percent that’s very marginal and 25 percent that’s just gone," he said. "So we're looking at somewhere 60 to 70 percent crop”

In June, heavy rains flooded his corn fields turning some areas into swamps.

Wednesday, not much standing water was left.

Not too many crops were left either.

“The roots have quit growing and cannot absorb nutrients or water,” said Schrock.

But help is on the way.

“The USDA declared us a disaster area so that will help some of the farmers especially some of the farmers trying to get started,” he said.

Disaster relief loans from the federal government could also help with his farm’s recovery from a brutal summer harvest.

“The weather was just too wet, and now too dry so there’s no moderation to our weather this year," said Schrock.