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Agriculture: Soggy fields could hurt crop yields

-- Last month's heavy rains may cause even bigger problems for Michigan's farmers this summer.
/ Source: The Associated Press

-- Last month's heavy rains may cause even bigger problems for Michigan's farmers this summer.

Thousands of mid-Michigan growers will have to put in lower-yielding crops if they are not able to plant their fields by mid-June. And the seeds already in the soaked ground could rot in the soil -- or produce diseased plants.

The crops -- soybeans and corn -- bring in about 80 (m) million dollars to Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties in the Lansing area. Other regional crops, including alfalfa and blueberries, thrive with lots of rain.

This year's sogginess is a big change from 2003, when farmers were forced to deal with some driest conditions in a decade.

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Cornfield, photo