LANSING, Mich. — Rainfall and cool temperatures continue to delay spring planting in Michigan, but warmer, drier weather is allowing farmers to get back in the fields and make good planting progress.

 

Some areas of the state received up to 4 inches of rain the first week of May. That precipitation, combined with cool temperatures, has kept soil temperatures cold and hindered evaporation losses.

 

Corn and soybean planting are falling behind schedule in Michigan, according to the most recent crop update from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Region. As of May 6, 10 percent of corn was planted. At the same time last year, 17 percent of the crop was in the ground and the five-year average is 27 percent. For the same time period, just 1 percent of soybeans are planted, compared to 6 percent last year and a five-year average of 11 percent.

 

Michigan State University extension educator Paul Gross, who serves the central Michigan area, said while farmers are feeling the stress of planting delays, there’s still plenty of time to get corn and soybeans in.

 

“From a calendar standpoint, we’re in fine shape,” he said. “Because we’ve had an open winter and a nice February, we feel like we’re behind. I’m urging growers to just be patient and let things dry out.”

 

Gross said working ground when it’s too wet can lead to many complications. “When we start working wet ground, we start doing some compaction and we don’t get good emergence after planting. It can cause the need to go back and replant. We’ve all experienced planting early and we don’t get good emergence. But when we wait until later, it seems to come up very quickly.”

 

He said with changes in the weather pattern this past week, adequate moisture and warming soil temperatures should provide quick emergence. Temperatures in the 70s and 80s are predicted this week, and midday soil temperature readings are holding in the mid-60s.

 

According to Pioneer planting date studies, growers may plant full-season corn hybrids until approximately May 27. While growers may choose to replace full-season hybrids with earlier hybrids in late May, research showed no profit penalty for staying with a full- or mid-maturity hybrids, even with delayed planting.

 

One concern of the late planting is that weed pressure is high in some fields.

 

“We’re way above normal moisture and above normal on temperatures,” Gross said. “That’s not a good combination, because the weeds are growing.”

 

Chickweed is a primary choice for black cutworm moths to lay eggs, and fields containing high chickweed pressure should be scouted soon after corn emergence for cutworm feeding, he noted.

 

According to a northeastern Michigan crop report from MSU extension educators James DeDecker and Christian Tollini, fieldwork and planting is just getting underway in their area: “The first few acres of corn were planted in northeast Michigan this week. Less than 5 percent of our anticipated corn crop is in the ground.”

 

In addition, they reported “only a handful of soybean acres have been planted in northeast Michigan, which may have been exposed to chilling injury earlier this week. Growers are encouraged to evaluate stand establishment in early-planted soybean fields.”

 

A May 8 frost event also was tough on the state’s asparagus crop. According to a report from extension educator Ben Werling, temperatures in the 20s froze off early asparagus pickings in west-central Michigan.

 

It is estimated that approximately 2 million pounds of asparagus – or 10 percent of the state’s total crop – was lost during this freeze event. However, last week’s warmer temperatures are expected to help speed arrival of a widespread harvest, according to reports from the state’s asparagus growers.

 

Potato planting is in progress, but some reports were filed of freeze damage visible on emerged leaves in some parts of the state. Potato planting has not yet begun in northeastern Michigan. 

 

It is unclear whether the frost will significantly impact this year’s fruit crop. “These temperatures were cold enough to cause damage, but not cold enough to cause widespread severe damage,” reported extension educator Mark Longstroth, who serves southwestern Michigan.

 

“Some areas were hit hard by the freeze. There are many differences between sites and crops. It will be several weeks before the true extent of the damage from this freeze event is known.”