Aurora County crops suffer storm damage

AURORA CENTER — The crop damage from a weekend storm that rolled through Aurora County is still being tallied, but residents in the area aren’t debating the storm’s overall strength.

Owen Fagerhaug, a Farm Service agent in Aurora County, said that in the heart of the county, farmers are looking at almost complete destruction of their crops.

“On the outer edges, they’re definitely going to see probably a 30 to 40 percent loss on their crop,” Fagerhaug said. “At the heart of that deal, they’re pretty well zeroed out.”

The storm arose quickly Saturday morning and rolled eastward through the county, hitting Aurora Center and clipping the northern edge of Stickney. Fagerhaug said the storm’s path was approximately five miles wide and affected approximately 60,000 acres.

Damage has varied throughout the county, he said.

Margie and Lloyd Van Genderen have lived northeast of Aurora Center for 51 years, but said Saturday’s storm was unprecedented. At the Van Genderen farm, Mrs. Van Genderen said the storm broke windows, stripped the siding off the west side of their home and decimated the family’s deck.

It also likely wiped out their entire crop. “There’s a lot of damage,” Van Genderen said. “I think everything is destroyed.” But the destruction of their crop will be somewhat offset by insurance, Van Genderen said. Although the couple did not have hail insurance, basic crop insurance should cover some of the loss.

Van Genderen’s concern extends more to young producers than her own plight, she said.

“We’ve been farming for 51 years. We’re established,” Van Genderen said. “I feel more sorry for these younger farmers.”

She’s also doing her best to keep things in perspective. Three years ago, Van Genderen’s son was diagnosed with cancer. Although he is now in remission, Van Genderen said the frightening experience provides a comforting means to look at the recent crop devastation.

“Physical disasters are much worse than material,” Van Genderen said. “Material can be replaced.”

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