Hailstorm causes 'complete damage' in Sevastopol

A localized severe hailstorm in the town of Sevastopol, north of Sturgeon Bay, wreaked havoc on crops Monday night.

"We have complete damage," said Matt Stasiak, superintendent-researcher with the Peninsular Agricultural Research Station. "I've never seen hail damage this bad."

Hail that Stasiak estimated at 1½ to 2 inches wide pummeled cherry trees, grapevines, winter wheat and corn crops just after 10 p.m. A Door County Sheriff's deputy took a picture of hail piled 3-4 inches deep on West Dunn Road, resembling a scene from a winter snowstorm.

"A lot of foliage was stripped right off the cherry and apple trees," Stasiak said. "I saw some corn that had been ripped down to the stalks."

At the research station itself, five or six experiments in progress are a complete loss, he said.

"Most we'll be able to repeat next year, but we had grant money to do them this year," Stasiak said.

Because such a small area was hit, state and federal dollars – usually made available when damage is widespread across a county – probably will not be available in this case. Growers do buy hail insurance, which can help in a case like this, Stasiak said.

Dunn Road, which becomes County P east of Wisconsin 42, seemed to be the cutoff point, he said. A vineyard on the north side of P had no damage at all, but farms south of that road were in bad shape.

Dunn Road, which becomes County P east of Wisconsin 42, seemed to be the cutoff point, he said. A vineyard on the north side of P had no damage at all, but farms south of that road were in bad shape.

Tim Kazmierczak, horticulturist with the U.S. Potato Gene Bank at PARS, said the storm brought an intense burst of rain followed by about 45 straight minutes of hail, and then more rain. The station's rain gauge measured a total of 3.05 inches.

The hail was so deep, the Door County Highway Department broke out the snowplows.

Dennis Anschutz, shop superintendent, said county workers plowed Walker and Dunn roads. This includes the area by Cherry Hills Golf Course.

The Garden Door, a garden maintained at PARS by the Door County Master Gardeners Association, also sustained significant damage, barely three days after its annual open house.

Charles Lautenbach, 72, who was surveying the crop damage at his Sevastopol farm, said he has only seen one hailstorm like this one before, and that was 51 years ago. The crop belongs to his son-in-law and daughter, Chuck and Melissa Stoeger.

"And I've never seen a hailstorm that left snowbanks," Lautenbach said. His yard was littered with downed leaves, puddles and piles of hail.

He said the hail started at about 10 p.m. Monday night. Before it was over, his deck had an inch of hail on it. Lautenbach's rain gauge showed 4½ inches of accumulation.

The 60 acres of corn, which before Monday night's storm were almost four feet high, had been beaten down to about a foot off the ground. Even the stalks close to the ground showed dents and other damage.

Lautenbach said Chuck Stoeger had crop insurance and other fields of corn.

He said two fates await the decimated corn crop: Either it will be plowed under or used for silage (animal feed).

Debbie Musil, manager at Choice Orchards, 4594 County HH, was confident the cherry orchard was not too damaged by the hailstorm.

"Cherry crop will be decent," she said. The orchard expects to have pick-your-own cherries starting July 25. Not all the cherries were ripe yet.

But much of their apple crop took a beating. Musil said apples were sliced in half on trees. A short tour of the orchard showed battered fruit still on the branches. Of approximately 15 acres of apple trees they have in the storm area, about 10 acres were lost, she said.

Musil said earlier she had been emotional surveying the damage with her husband, Glenn Musil, who is also a manager at Choice Orchards. The orchard is owned by Dan Wergin of Manitowoc.

Mike and Katie Polich, owners of Polich Farm, came out to survey their damaged crops in fields they rent on Walker Road in the town of Sevastopol.

The Poliches lost the second cutting of hay, barley, the kernels off the winter wheat and some corn in Monday night's hailstorm. They grow the crops for their organic dairy farms. Their animals were unhurt.

The couple has crop insurance and will be able to replant at least one of their fields with another crop. As for the hay, they expect to get a third cutting from it before the end of the season.

"This is a disaster, a disaster hail," Mike Polich said.

Tina M. Gohr contributed to this report. Contact Warren Bluhm at wbluhm@doorcountyadvocate.com or (920) 743-3321, Ext. 122.