The students at U. Nebraska-Lincoln have been feeling the effects of the humid weather and the numerous rainstorms in Nebraska this year.

In a state known for agriculture, farmers have also been seeing those effects as excessive moisture has caused flooding and various leaf diseases that damage crops such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

“All of the crops have had challenges (this year),” said Bruce Anderson, professor of agronomy and horticulture. “Direct flooding has been a problem in a number of areas and wet soil has prevented farmers from planting their crops on a timely basis.”

The weather has made it difficult for hay growers to cut and bale their hay in a timely mannerto harvest.

High humidity causing leaf damages has caused a reduced yield in crops, but Anderson said it is going to be hard to determine how significant that reduction is.

It will also be difficult to say how severe the leaf diseases are until the end of the season, he added.

“I think it’s been a challenging season for Nebraska producers to get their crops grown and get satisfactory results for their efforts,” Anderson said.

Stephen Wegulo, an associate professor of plant pathology, said for wheat farmers, leaf diseases have been very damaging, with some fields losing 100 percent of their crops.

“(Leaf diseases) are much more prominent this season than we usually see,” he said.

A lot of the wheat has already been cultivated, but crops such as corn and soybeans are yet to be harvested.

These leaf diseases include Stripe Rust, Tan Spot, Black Chaff, Stem Rust and Leaf Spot, which are mostly caused by excessive moisture.

There isn’t a lot farmers are able to do about the weather, Wegulo said.

“Not if the moisture is coming through rain,” he said. “It’s Mother Nature and there is nothing you can do.”

Farmers can store their harvest in dry conditions to prevent moisture from reaching the crops as well as try to ensure that the crops are not getting over-irrigated.

Farmers can also try to prevent leaf diseases by spraying their crops with an antifungal, but Anderson said it would be too late for wheat farmers to try that.

“This has to be done early in the season, in the spring,” he said.