By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The weather is still preventing Indiana farmers from getting all their corn and soybeans planted, according to the latest figures from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

As of June 1, 78 percent of the state’s corn was in the ground, as compared with 86 percent last year, said Greg Preston, director of Indiana’s NASS field office. The five-year average is 95 percent.
For soybeans, 50 percent had been planted by June 1. By the same time last year, 58 percent had been planted. The five-year average is 78 percent.

“We’re behind by quite a bit,” Preston said. “There are a lot of acres still left to be planted. About 1.2 million acres (of corn) are sitting out there waiting to be planted.”

Farmers in the northern part of the state have 91 percent of their corn planted, Preston said. In the central region, 80 percent of the crop has been planted, and in the south, 51 percent. Regional figures for soybeans weren’t available.

It’s difficult to know if and when farmers will make the switch over to soybeans if they can’t get corn into the ground, Preston said.
“It’s not so much when they plant, but what the weather will be like from that point on,” he said. “The weather caused the problem, but it could maybe be the solution if we have ideal conditions for the rest of the year.”

In March, Indiana farmers were projected to plant 5.7 million acres of corn and 5.4 million acres of soybeans, Preston said.

Ohio: Catching up
Farmers in Ohio have been playing catch-up. It’s been a wet May and they have had to plant any chance they could get.

“In Ohio, 97 percent of the corn is in the ground, compared to 93 percent this time last year,” said Nathanial Warenski, agricultural statistician with the state NASS office.

“Corn is about even for the five-year average. And with soybeans, 84 percent have been planted, compared with 71 percent a year ago. Soybeans, too, are even for the five-year average.”

Warenski’s stats were gathered May 31. Since April 1 Ohio farmers have had just 24.8 suitable fieldwork days. “It’s been a wet spring,” he added. “We’ve had 7.82 inches since April 1.”

“Although corn yield potential generally begins to decline after May 10, good yields are still possible with late May plantings,” said Peter Thomison, Ohio State University extension agronomist.
He said corn planted into June could be subject to problems later in the season: more sensitive to drought stress, more vulnerable to stalk quality issues and more prone to disease and insect problems.

“Much of what impacts the crop has more to do with what corn experiences later in the season than conditions at the time of planting,” Thomison said.

According to extension soybean agronomist Jim Beuerlein, soybean planting is also behind schedule. “It’d be nice if we had all the soybeans in the ground by now, but it’s not a disaster that we don’t,” Beuerlein said.

By mid-May just 13 percent of soybeans were planted, 6 percent behind this time last year and 24 percent behind the five-year average. As of June 2 that increased to 84 percent. But NASS states the probability for rain remains high.

“Farmers have tremendous planting capacity,” Beuerlein said. “They will run day and night until the job is done. We can plant 10 million acres in this state in three weeks if we really get at it and the weather cooperates.”
-Doug Graves
Ohio Correspondent

Illinois: Surplus moisture
A glance at the Illinois NASS (IASS) field office’s Weather & Crop Report for June 1 reveals that just 82 percent of the state’s corn had been planted, 16 percent less than the five-year average and down from 91 percent in 2008. Corn emergence is estimated at 52 percent, a reduction of 40 percent from the state five-year average and 22 percent under last year.

Soybean planting is predictably behind as well, with only 34 percent of the crop planted, or 20 percent less than in 2008 and a whopping 48 percent behind the five-year average.

Corn planting in the southern part of the state ground to a halt May 25-31, with the southeastern sector enjoying just 0.8 day suitable for fieldwork, IASS Director Brad Schwab said. “Their topsoil moisture is rated at 82 percent-plus. The fields are untillable and they can’t get tractors into them,” he said.

Overall, topsoil moisture levels are surplus throughout most of the state. “In some cases farmers were forced to plant around ponds and wet spots in fields because of the urgency of getting a crop in the ground, trying to get as much as they can,” Schwab said.
State Climatologist Jim Angel reported the state averaged 15.9 inches of rain in March, April and May. In St. David the total for the period reached 27.7 inches.

“Obviously, both corn and soybean planting have been delayed,” said Patrick Kirchhofer, Peoria County Farm Bureau director. “We’re running at least a month behind as far as corn planting, and it’s a similar situation with soybeans. There has been a lot of spot-planting.

“If you get much past June 10 in our area you are risking significant yield loss, as far as corn planting goes.” Many farmers whose fields are still unplanted will likely choose to grow soybeans, he and Schwab agreed.
-Tim Alexander
Illinois Correspondent

Michigan: Not quite dry enough
Michigan farmers made much planting progress last week, but continue to battle wet conditions in some areas.
According to the Michigan NASS field office report for the week ending May 31, “with dry weather in recent weeks, corn planting was nearing completion. Early planted fields of corn have emerged and were approaching Stage V3. However, later planted corn was in Stage V1. Report of damage from sandhill cranes was reported in the southwest.”
The report showed 91 percent of the state’s corn crop was planted, as compared to 97 percent a year ago. Farmers made progress in just one week, though, from only 77 percent of the crop in the ground May 24. To date, about 60 percent of the corn has emerged, compared to 27 percent as of May 24 and 77 percent one year ago.
Soybean planting continued, with 62 percent of the crop in the ground as of May 31 and 25 percent emerged. One week ago, 43 percent of the crop was planted with just 8 percent emerged. Soybean planting remains behind 2008, when 89 percent was in the ground at this time and 42 percent had emerged.
“Early planted soybean fields have emerged with some fields at the V1 leaf stage,” the report stated.
According to the report, farmers continued to work around wet spots in some fields. Precipitation for the week varied from 0.71 inches in the east-central Lower Peninsula to 2.21 inches in the eastern Upper Peninsula, while average temperatures ranged from 7 degrees below normal in the northern Lower Peninsula (LP) to 1 degree below normal in the southern LP.
-Shelly Strautz-Springborn
Michigan Correspondent