Indiana
Almost nonstop rain in the Hoosier State has caused widespread flooding, delayed planting and caused a decline in the winter wheat crop.

“The weather’s sort of messing up everything,” said Plainville farmer Dick Wade. “We need about a month of sunshine.”

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) Crop & Weather report for the week ending May 1, only 10 percent of winter wheat is in poor or very poor condition; 33 percent is rated fair; and 57 percent, good to excellent.

But the report stated the crop is taking a hit from the rain. Last year at this time, winter wheat condition was 72 percent good to excellent. Wade said he expects scab in this year’s crop.

“Winter wheat doesn’t like wet weather,” he added.

As of May 1, 81 percent of topsoil had a surplus of moisture, and 65 percent of subsoil had a surplus. The NASS report stated corn planting is 20 days behind last year’s pace and 17 days behind the five-year average. It showed only 2 percent of the crop planted, compared to 69 percent last year and 31 percent over a five-year average.

At the end of April, Wade said if it had quit raining then, it’d be May 15 before he could’ve planted corn. “That’s not a very good prospect,” he said, adding he’s usually done planting corn by April 20.

Wade said if he gets his beans planted by the end of May, they should be okay.

By Andrea McCann
Indiana Correspondent

Illinois
Although the rain slowed last week, temperatures weren’t noticeably higher and Illinois producers still didn’t see their fields dry enough to make much progress in planting.

Experts say it’s too early for farmers and backyard gardeners to worry about the wet spring, but anxiety seems to be growing among those frustrated by the muddy fields. Farmers know it’s too soon to panic, because the corn crop still should have enough time if it’s planted by mid-May, and soybeans are generally planted later anyway.

As that anxiety builds however, University of Illinois crop scientist Emerson Nafziger turned to history for perspective. It isn’t guaranteed, but in most years corn planted before mid-May will be fine, and as recently as 2009 the Midwest produced a huge crop after planting as late as June because of a cold, wet spring, he said.

But after so much rain, Nafziger said those historic norms offer only so much comfort. “We’ll stay optimistic, but it’s wet out there,” he added.
As delays lengthen, growers are starting to wonder if they should switch from corn to soybeans, or change hybrids from early to late ones.

“If you have already made crop-specific investments, such as applying (nitrogen) for corn, this will provide more incentive to stay with corn,” Nafziger said. “This is not a decision to rush into at this point.”

By Deborah Behrends
Illinois Correspondent

Ohio
April showers may bring May flowers, but growers in Ohio would simply have been satisfied with dry ground to start the month.

April was the wettest month on record in Ohio, and the first week of May saw spotty showers that kept soil conditions soggy and most growers inside. Even large farm markets are feeling the effect of saturated fields.

“I plan on growing 40 acres of sweet corn for the market this season, but I have forgone nine acres of that corn because the timing to get it in the ground has passed,” said Mike Garver of Garver Farm Markets in southwestern Ohio; he farms more than 1,200 acres in three counties. “I have a greenhouse full of tomato plants that have outgrown their flats. People just are not buying during rainy conditions.”

Temperatures were higher than normal but precipitation in all parts of the state were higher, as well. “It’s been too wet to get in any of our fields,” Garver said.

Drier days are coming. The National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in nearby Wilmington, Ohio, expects temperatures in the 70s each of the next 10 days, with only a slight chance of precipitation this upcoming week.
According to the Ohio field office of NASS, the planting of corn is 15 days behind last year’s pace and 10 days behind the five-year average. Just 1 percent of corn in Ohio has been planted, compared to 61 percent at this time one year ago.

Other crops are behind schedule as well. According to NASS statistics of May 1, winter wheat was 49 percent jointed, which is 23 percent behind last year. Sixteen percent of oats were planted, compared to 91 percent last year. Seven percent of that crop has emerged, compared to 38 percent this time last year.

Potato growers managed to get just 4 percent of their crop in the ground, compared to 47 percent last year.

Orchards across the state are battling the elements, too. Peaches at green tip or beyond were 77 percent, which was 10 percent behind last year and 12 percent behind the five-year average. Peaches in full bloom were at 43 percent, compared to 71 percent in 2010. Seventy-five percent of apples were green tip or beyond, compared to 93 percent last year.

Some good news to report, though: 83 percent of the apples and peaches were in fair to good condition.

By Doug Graves
Ohio Correspondent