Storm produces ‘heartbreaking’ crop damage

June 24, 2009

By Cherry Sokoloski
The Wellington

A fast-moving storm wreaked havoc from north Fort Collins to Wellington (Colorado) on the evening of June 22, dumping rail and hail and damaging crops and gardens along the way. Hail was piled 4 inches high in Bellvue and LaPorte.
Wellington (Colorado), which was directly in the path of the storm, received nearly 2.5 inches of rain and pea-sized hail. The volunteer fire department responded to three calls for help in pumping flooded basements.
The storm also produced a lightning show that rivaled the Fourth of July. One strike, about 8:45 p.m., caused minor damage to a home in Wellington (Colorado) West.
Dale Sipes, one of the farmers who suffered crop damage, said it was “heartbreaking” to see fields of shredded crops in the wake of the storm. He farms both north and south of Wellington (Colorado), but his home place to the south, at State Highway 1 and East County Road 58, got hit the worst.
“We had such a good year going here, and the beets were looking great,” he said on Tuesday. “They don’t look so great this morning.”
Sugar beets and corn on Sipes’ farm sustained damage, but he said they will grow new leaves and recover. Crops were set back about two weeks, he estimated.
“In farming, we deal with it,” he commented.
State climatologist Nolan Doesken said the most intense part of the storm traveled in a relatively narrow swath, from the north end of Horsetooth Reservoir into Bellvue and LaPorte, then on to Wellington (Colorado) and into Weld County and a corner of Wyoming. There was significant rain and hail damage in the Nunn area.
The greatest rainfall was reported in LaPorte, which received at least 3.35 inches of rain and also half-inch hail. One-inch hail, the largest reported, hammered an area about one mile east of Terry Lake.
Many farmers and rural residents were just outside the main swath of the storm. The Ackerman farm in the Buckeye area received just 0.3 inch of rain, and north of Ted’s Place there was virtually no rainfall. Grant Family Farms northwest of Wellington (Colorado) sustained damage to one field of lettuce, but it is expected to recover.
Bob Kraft, who farms along Douglas Road, had some hail but his crops were damaged more by heavy rain. He measured 1.8 inches of rain that fell in about a half hour, and the combination of rain and wind beat down his sugar beets and corn.
Kraft noted that this growing year has been unusual to say the least, with above-average rain and frequent hailstorms.
“The crops are going to be tough when they get through this season,” he said.