By Ryan Lenz
The Associated Press

Excessive rains in the midst of when soybeans develop have battered much of Indiana's crop to a point where weeks of dry, hot days are now critical to a healthy harvest.

Storms, standing water and fluctuating temperatures have stunted soybeans that were not washed away by floods in central and northern Indiana, said Ellsworth Christmas, a Purdue University agronomist.

"The soybeans really do look bad, but it's too early to write off the crop," he said. "If we get reasonably good growing conditions - by that I mean a period when it's not too wet and we keep these temperatures in the 80-degree range - beans will bounce back."

Indiana farmers planted about 5.4 million acres of soybeans this year, down 7 percent from 2002. By last weekend, less than half of the state's crop was rated "good," according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service.

About 20 percent of the crop was in poor condition.

Computer models indicate the state's soybean harvest could be 1.4 bushels lower than usual after storms beginning the July 4 weekend dumped more than 10 inches of rain on northern and central Indiana.

But soybeans are not the only crops suffering damage. Computer models show corn yields could drop 4.3 bushels per acre if the rains continue.

Christmas said the next challenge facing soybeans and other crops will be diseases including white mold, a disease which attacks the plant's stem, and sudden death syndrome if weather does not allow soil to dry.

Tim Thomas, who raises corn and soybeans about 35 miles southwest of Indianapolis near Paragon in Morgan County, estimates roughly 20 percent of his crop was damaged by flooding on the White River.

He said he fears what might happen next month if rains continue.

"The excessive rain, it's hurting the soybeans. We need some heat and dry weather," Thomas said. "August will make your bean crop."