COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hurricane Helene left a complex footprint across soybean-growing regions, bringing both devastation and relief. Extension specialists from Science for Success, a national team of soybean agronomists, have been tracking the storm’s effects, highlighting the challenges soybean farmers now face in the aftermath.
Extreme weather events can lead to significant yield losses and seed quality issues. While heavy rain brought relief to drought-stricken areas, farmers now face delayed harvests, sprouted beans, and price penalties.
In western North Carolina and southwest Virginia, soybean farmers saw devastating flooding, according to Rachel Vann and Carrie Ortel, extension specialists at NC State University and Virginia Tech University, respectively.
While counties most affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina are also counties with relatively low soybean production, there were several significant rainfall events in NC prior to the storm that exacerbated its effects in the rest of the state.
“When coupled with Hurricane Helene, [it] resulted in one of the top 5 wettest Septembers on record in many of our heavy producing soybean areas across the state,” Vann wrote in a Science for Success report.
Soybean seed quality example from Southeastern North Carolina on early planted planted, early maturing varieties in our environment in 2024 (Photo: September 19, 2024 in Clark County Ohio.)
Extreme weather can cause issues in seed quality, abnormal growth, and lodging. Earlier maturing soybeans in particular are more likely to experience seed quality issues when there is a hot, wet season. A sudden shift between dry and wet weather can cause soybean seeds to sprout in their pods, and high winds can induce lodging. All of those issues are likely to reduce the yield potential of a given field.
Weak open pods due to dry conditions in Ohio. Soybeans were at 8 percent moisture. (Courtesy photo)
Standing water can also be detrimental to soybean crops. Water-logging, or flooding of the soybean roots, can reduce soybean yield 50 to 56 percent at the reproductive stage. It can also increase the risk of diseases like phytophthora root rot. Areas of South Carolina and Florida have reported standing water in low-lying areas.
In some states, the hurricane forced farmers to delay harvest, leading to more seed quality issues. According to Andre Reis, extension specialist at the University of Missouri, wet conditions after the storm delayed harvest by at least a week. The delayed harvest caused soybeans to sprout within the pods. As a result, Reis reported, the industrial quality of the seeds is poor, and elevators are imposing price penalties on the production.
Examples of soybean seed sprouting prior to harvest following rainfall from Hurricane Helene at diverse geographical locations in North Carolina (Courtesy photo)
Even states on the northern end of the east coast experienced adverse effects from the storm. In Ohio, much of the state was experiencing drought conditions prior to the hurricane, with the southern portion at the most severe (D4) level of drought.
“Beans were extremely dry,” said Laura Lindsey, extension specialist at The Ohio State University. “Prior to the hurricane, farmers were harvesting soybeans at 8% moisture or even less.”
Because of the dry weather, some farmers in Ohio also chose to delay their harvest and wait for rain to increase their moisture. But when Hurricane Helene brought 2-8 inches of rain in western, central, and southern Ohio, some of the previously dry soybeans sprouted, causing significant grain quality concerns.
“It’s extremely widespread across the southern portion of the state,” Lindsey said about soybean sprouting. “Even double crop soybeans that are still green are sprouting.”
Not all of the effects from the storm were negative. In parts of Kentucky, Arkansas, and Illinois, the rainfall was a welcome relief from an otherwise dry season, bringing much needed moisture for soybeans that were still green.
“The beans will use that to help finish out the last few days of seed fill,” said Chad Lee, extension specialist at the University of Kentucky. “Won’t be a huge difference, but given the season we’ve had up to this point, how dry we’ve been, this little bit of rain will help us out,” Lee said.
As extension specialists continue to assess the storm’s damage across impacted regions, soybean farmers will be required to adapt to unpredictable weather patterns and prepare to manage the long-term effects on crop quality and yield.
About Science for Success: Science for Success is a national team of soybean Extension Specialists from land-grant universities. Science for Success is funded by the United Soybean Board through the checkoff program.
–Bethany Lee
Science for Success
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