LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - "Knee-High by the Fourth of July" is a common saying in the Midwest - but not this year.
This time last year crops typically were shoulder length but now they don't reach an inch in many places.
Purdue Agricultural Economist Chris Hurt says too much moisture this spring delayed farmers from planting their crops. Hurt says he estimates between eighty and ninety percent of crops were planted late.
"One of the issues with late planting is that we lost a lot of the growing season, but we need a growing season that continues all the way until September and all the way through October in order to get these crops harvested."
Hurt says one of the issues with delayed planting is that they lost valuable time for the growing season, and they may face the likelihood of crops dying.
"As we move into early July there may be a million or more acres in the state of Indiana that are not planted yet," stated Hurt.
Hurt says Clinton, Howard, and Tipton counties have some of the biggest delays.
