We in our area of the NorthEast Arkansas have a mixture of soil types from heavy clay/gumbo to course Sand. Sandy loam worse scenario is recieving a hard 2inch plus rain after planting not so much on the gumbo but really on the sandy loam soils.. I've actually pulled up cotton stalks that had a perfect curly Q in the stalk a 1/2 inch to an inch below the surface so in my estimation that meant it was 1 to 2 days delayed emergence...the worst scenario that occurs is in the rice crop we use a practice called flushing that is turning on well and putting on a flood to soften the crust it is an awful amount of work and cost...a .2 to .3 inch shower is best. It can take several days to flush a field

In eastern Arkansas that soil is so sandy that crusting is always a concern. I remember pulling up a cotton stalk that had a perfect curly cue in it about .5 to .75 inches below the surface. I think it recieve a shower just before it was going to die....In rice cranking up the wells to flush a field is always a consideration that rice farmers must contend with every spring....

This is more of a cure instead of prevention, but I'm surprised they didn't mention the rotary hoe to break surface crusting. I used it in organic production for weed control, once before and once after both corn and soybean emergence. Dirt and old stalks are flying everywhere and you think you're annihilating your crop, but it usually doesn't cause much damage. The faster you go, the shallower it goes in the soil. 6-12mph is the recommended range, iirc.

Thanks for the lectures