View From the Cab

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- If there was such a thing as weather whiplash, Ethan Zoerb would surely have a case. The 2025 season started off so dry that it took irrigation water to get the crop to germinate. This week, the concern became flooding after rainstorms dumped buckets of moisture across much of central Nebraska.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we are wet. Real wet," said Zoerb, who farms with his father, Dale, near Litchfield.

Stuart Sanderson's region of Madison, Alabama, has been inundated as well. "I don't think we've had a day in the past week when it hasn't rained. It's been a continuing story for us this season -- to the point we are going to take prevented planting on some acres. That is not what we wanted, but it is the hand we have been dealt," said Sanderson.

Sanderson and Zoerb are participating in DTN's View From the Cab feature this year. The ongoing series explores crop conditions and other rural issues throughout the growing season.

"When it rains, it pours" had dual meaning this week for these farmers. Temperatures sizzled as commodity markets tanked and unrest around the world added more uncertainties to an uncertain time.

Stress is a part of the profession, but it begs a broader discussion about long-term farmer mental health. Read on to learn how these farmers work to keep life in balance and how other farmers help.

STUART SANDERSON: MADISON, ALABAMA

On June 26, Sanderson had one of those days. It started off by loading trucks in more than 100-degree-Fahrenheit heat. Then, an auger went out in a relatively new, 150,000-bushel bin. High-speed planters can do great things for precision, but wet straw and vibration combined to cause an issue. This led to wire chasing to determine the problem amid an already frantic dash to get double-crop soybeans planted. Then, a tractor blew a hydraulic line -- one of those lines you can't reach without getting shoulder-deep and rolling in the stuff.

"I came in that night and realized my clothes were so saturated with hydraulic fluid that they weren't worth saving. I threw them away," he said.

No matter how much you plot or plan, stuff goes wrong. It's part of farming. But this season has been more trying than normal at Henderson Farms of which he is a partner.

"It seems as though we've had to fight to get every kernel of wheat harvested," Sanderson said, noting they were down to 90-acres of wheat remaining when rain shut down operations again.

"The wheat is dry, but the fields are wet," Sanderson said. "We had a 1200-bushel grain cart loaded up and even with tracks, deep ruts were left getting it out of the field."

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said chances of rain continue through the weekend for the area. "The heat relaxes, but the humidity does not, making it easier for storms to develop during the day," said Baranick. "A front will drop into the area for Monday and Tuesday (June 30-July 1) and probably bring another round of storms.

"Maybe my forecast will jinx that. Models are mixed on whether that front stalls in the Southeast or continues into the Gulf," Baranick noted. "But I don't think they've missed a round yet. Here's hoping that front decides to park well south of Madison and give them a couple of dry days."

The farm has about 1,000 acres of conventional soybeans they've not been able to plant because of wet conditions. Some of those acres were corn acres that missed the insurance planting date and were redesignated as soybean acres. Many of those acres will likely remain unplanted, Sanderson said. "We also have some double-crop acres that will likely not get planted this year," he said, as he noted that these prevented planting fields represent some of the farm's most productive acres.

The good news in this wonky weather scenario is there's the potential for a darn good corn crop. Roots are running shallow this year because of excessive rainfall. However, Sanderson said one more good rain should be enough to allow the crop to finish strong with dryland yields in the vicinity of 250 bushel per acre (bpa) or better.

So far, every acre is dryland this year, thanks to all the rainfall. "We've got 16 pivots and haven't turned one of them on yet this year," he reported.

Stress is hard to avoid in the farming profession even when the weather cooperates, Sanderson observed. Competition for land and spiraling fixed costs are pressures being felt by many producers today.

"That's especially true for those without any kind of risk management portfolio when it comes to marketing what they grow," he said. "Doing everything right agronomically is not the same thing as being profitable.

"Farmers in general never want to show any kind of weakness or anything that resembles a failure," Sanderson added. "Locking all that up inside and hiding it takes mental and physical energy that isn't realized until you hit that brick wall when you're running 100 miles an hour."

Sanderson also worries that in a world increasingly filled with noise, we are losing the ability to be still and listen. Increasing dependence on devices and social media is no substitute for meaningful conversation, he maintained.

While farmers can sometimes be reluctant to share details about their business, Sanderson finds benefit in a network of farmer friends that are always willing to take a call if he needs an objective ear.

"They are mostly outside of my zip code and there's a comfort level in that," he said. "Plus, I think it's helpful to hear thoughts from those who might see things from a slightly different angle because they don't do things exactly the same way in their geographical area."

Making time to have interests beyond the farm is important for him, as well. Hunting or playing golf with friends can help put life right. So can a good workout at the gym. "There's something about heading out to fish at sunrise and quickly dropping out of phone service. Suddenly, I don't have a care in the world except trying to catch snapper," he said.

Farmers are well acquainted with the many variables that can influence the growing of a crop. Yet, they often overlook the need to tend the many variables that influence human health, emotions and spirituality, Sanderson said.

That starts with changing the narrative on seeking professional help. "It isn't a weakness or failure to ask for help. It is a sign of maturity," he said.

ETHAN ZOERB: LITCHFIELD, NEBRASKA

Up to 7 inches of rain hit the Platte River Valley on June 25, causing severe flash flooding in some areas. Zoerb Farms totals ranged from 3.5 to 5 inches during a two-day span.

"Maybe 1 or 2 inches of it soaked in. The rest ran off," said Zoerb. "We somehow managed to avoid the most severe flooding and we dodged hail again -- that's always good."

DTN's Baranick said the wet weather pattern could continue. "We could see some storms developing over the weekend as another front moves through. And disturbances could bring showers through for most of the coming week as well. Those will be a lot more hit-and-miss, though," Baranick said.

"Temperatures at least are staying closer to normal with a lot of 80s during the afternoons and 60s at night. As long as they're not drowned out by the rain, the conditions look pretty good for now."

Zoerb was able to finish up nitrogen sidedress applications prior to the deluge this week. He'll start hauling fertilizer to pivots soon to prepare for fertigation if tissue tests call for additional nutrients.

Zoerb is using a plant analysis system from Leaftech Ag for the first time this year. The hand-held scanner connects to a smartphone and allows the user to take tissue samples throughout the season directly from the leaf. A full-scan takes just 5 to 10 seconds and nutrient analysis is delivered within 3 to 5 minutes.

In the past, the farm has used labs to evaluate tissue samples, and he's found results can vary between labs. The instantaneous answers via this new sampling method gets a big thumbs up from Zoerb. But this week it was important to see how the analysis stacks up compared to a local regional lab that has gained his trust through the years.

"I had the results back from the scanner before I had the leaves stuffed in a bag to send to the lab," he reported. He was still waiting on the lab results for the comparison two days after collection.

Zoerb was also doing some sleuthing in soybean fields this week. He has a variety that has grown about 8-10 inches tall and put on 15-20 nodes. The beans aren't close to the stage of canopy closure and some leaves are cupped, but the symptoms aren't consistent throughout the field. At first, he suspected dicamba injury, but symptoms don't seem consistent with that either. A seed agronomist has been called to take a look.

Even his sweet corn was acting off this year as it was starting to tassel about knee high.

The most advanced of the field corn is now in the V-10 growth stage. Placing pheromone traps in the field to monitor for Western bean cutworm was on his to-do list this week. Peak moth flight in this area usually comes mid-to-late July. Western bean cutworm moths prefer to lay eggs in corn plants that are in the late whorl stage. Western bean cutworm has defeated the majority of the Bt traits, so scouting for the pest is critically important.

While the rainfall has been welcome relief after a prolonged drought, Zoerb could do without the extremes. "This season has seemed more stressful than any I can remember and I'm not sure I can really pinpoint why," he noted.

The topic of mental health is personal for the young farmer. The past struggles of extended family have shown him the importance of dealing with personal challenges when they arise.

"I think agriculture in general is talking more about the importance of good mental health these days and that's a good thing. But it's far from fixed," Zoerb said. "This is a solitary profession. Many times, it's just you and a tractor cab or the cab of a pickup. The only time you might talk to someone all day is when you need more fertilizer or need help moving equipment. That's a lot of time to be left alone if something is troubling you."

He gives big kudos to farmers come forward to tell their story to help others. "Almost everyone I've ever heard talk about mental health say they wish they hadn't waited so long to get help. That's an important message," he said.

Zoerb says the connections he's formed through commodity organizations is an important network. "I know there are other farmers that I can go to if I need to talk and I hope they feel the same way about me," he said.

The pace of the world today can easily increase the feeling of being frustrated or overwhelmed, Zoerb added. "It's kind of a weird time. We're in a world that's more connected than it has ever been, yet it is so easy to feel totally disconnected from everything," he observed.

Anyone who farms with family knows it comes with a set of rewards and challenges. "I think one thing that helps me is that I don't live at the farm. That 20-minute drive home gives me time to decompress and unwind a little bit," he said.

If that doesn't work, there are five children under the age of 11 waiting with open arms. "Recently after a long day, I came home and said: 'Dad needs a hug. Everybody dog pile on Dad.'

"We all just stayed there rolling around on the floor for a bit and it was just what I needed to make my day a lot better," Zoerb said.

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Editor's Note: In May 2024, Progressive Farmer published a special issue titled Rays of Hope: Shedding Light On Rural Mental Health Challenges. See https://bncentryassets.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/….

Pamela Smith can be reached at Pamela.smith@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

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