Hail destroys crops in southern Minn.

Hail damage
Hail damage in Nicollet County runs along a swath of land northwest from St. Peter as far as Lafayette and near Gaylord. Some crops are a complete loss.
Photo courtesy of Christian Lilienthal

A Monday evening hail storm caused widespread crop damage in southern Minnesota.

The damage in Nicollet County runs along a swath of land northwest from St. Peter as far as Lafayette and near Gaylord. Some crops are a complete loss, University of Minnesota extension educator Christian Lilienthal said.

"It really affected quite a bit of the area," Lilienthal said. "But where it hit, it hit pretty hard."

Farmers reported widespread crop damage, but as of yet, there has been no tally of the number of acres affected. With little time to replant, some areas appear to be a total loss. Farmers can get advice on their replanting options at a meeting 2 p.m. Thursday at the Lafayette Community Center.

"Being it's the end of June, most folks are just finding it's going to be a loss year for them," Lilienthal said.

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