This week's storms cause 'widespread, significant' farm damage in Iowa, topple 10 turbines

Iowa farmers are reporting “widespread, significant damage” to homes, outbuildings and grain bins after storms tore through the state Tuesday, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said Wednesday.

It’s unclear how many farms were hit by Tuesday’s tornadoes, Naig said, adding that state and federal agriculture and emergency management agencies are working to assess the damage.

Already this spring, 74 Iowa farms were damaged tornadoes that slammed through southern and central Iowa in late April. Damages are still being determined, but Naig said it’s “a really big number,” given the investment growers make in farm buildings and machinery.

Iowa had 59 tornadoes in April, the most ever in a month after December 2021, when the state was hit with 70 tornadoes, according to Justin Glisan, the state climatologist.

It “has been a very, very challenging spring,” said Naig, with precipitation that’s pushed planting across the state about a week behind last year's pace.

Storms crossing southwest Iowa also destroyed 10 turbines near Greenfield, a city that suffered four tornado deaths and extensive damage. MidAmerican Energy said six turbines in two wind farms were toppled and Oregon-based Vestas said four turbines were downed on a wind farm in Adams County.

Matt Copeman, a Vestas spokesman, said in an email that several employees have “have been displaced” after their homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

“During this difficult period, we will provide continuous support to those team members and their families," he said.

MidAmerican, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, said the none of its turbine technicians was injured. Its operation and maintenance facilities are equipped with storm shelters, it said.

Tina Hoffman, a MidAmerican spokeswoman, said in an email that a tornado “directly struck” its turbines in Adair County, based on social media posts. Five turbines were hit in its Orient wind farm and one in its Arbor Hill wind farm.

Several turbines registered wind speeds over 100 mph as the tornadoes approached, before the company lost touch with its sensors, Hoffman said.

No one was injured when MidAmerican’s wind turbines toppled, she said. MidAmerican, which has been operating wind farms since 2004, has never experienced this level of loss, Hoffman said. “We have experienced only one other instance of a wind turbine collapse, which was also caused by a tornado,” she said.

Hoffman said manufacturers design wind turbines to withstand Iowa's ever-changing weather conditions, including severe thunderstorms and high wind events, but, “As we've seen from the damage sustained throughout several Iowa counties, few structures can withstand a direct hit by a powerful tornado such as what we experienced on Tuesday.”

MidAmerican said it’s inspecting all its wind operations in the area “out of an abundance of caution,” before resuming operations. Vestas said it also will investigate its turbines once the area is safe.

As devastating as the storms have been, it’s the precipitation that’s come with them that has been particularly troubling for farmers as they plant this year’s crops, Naig said.

So far, Iowa has averaged 5.6 inches of rain in May, more than double the 2.7 inches it normally receives, said Glisan, the state's climatologist. The state has need significant rainfall after entering its fourth year of drought.

Aaron Lehman, who farms north of Des Moines, said he’s still trying to plant his organic corn. So far, Iowa farmers haven’t planted 13% of their corn acres and 39% of the soybean acres, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report Monday.

Lehman, the Iowa Farmers Union board president, said farmers also are trying to replant acres that have been drowned out.

“As you get to the end of May, you really are starting to be concerned about whether there's time to get this crop in,” Naig said. “But there’s still time."

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Storms cause widespread farm damage, topple turbines across rural Iowa