TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — “To plant, or replant?” is the question many farmers are asking as they assess crop condition and progress in light of recent rains, storms and flooding.

 

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), precipitation definitely made an impact in Indiana and Illinois lately.

Last week Terre Haute received the least, at just over 1.5 inches, but Stendal, in the southwestern part of the state, topped nearly 16 inches over the last 7 weeks.

Illinois’ rain amounts were scattered from a half-inch to 6 inches.

While it’s common to compare previous wet planting seasons to this one, Troy Clawson, DEKALB/Asgrow district sales manager, noted every year is unique. “We’ve had wet springs before where we certainly had a lot of delayed planting, even more than this year,” he said.

“What’s unique this year is we got off to a really good start.

“A lot of the corn in the southern part of my territory, Sullivan to Jasper, had an excellent start. In April those areas had 85 to 90 percent of corn planted and one-third to one-half soybeans planted.

The last weekend in April, we started getting heavy rains, which wreaked havoc with flooding on corn crop on higher ground and just about lost about all of the already-planted river bottoms. Typically, we lose one or the other, but this year we lost both.”

Clawson reported a normal year’s replant for his territory is 5 percent, where this year the total is 15-20 percent. Ceres Solutions, Inc.’s Allen Swalls, a seed sales specialist in west-central Indiana, said farmers planting before Easter weren’t struggling with rain and decreased crop progress. He said the heavy rains of 8-10 inches and cooler weather dictated 90 percent of corn had to be replanted. “It’s been tough and it’s a tough call whether to stay or replant. Mike Jacks near Prairieton is on high sand, and his water drained off and crops came up.

Others are having to replant. The fact we’re still in May is good because it’s the prime time to plant. I do believe weather patterns are changing,” he said.

Swalls noted the rain hitting the Lafayette area, not Terre Haute, is what impacts the Wabash Valley. “The corn coming up now in four days was planted last week. If you are at 28,000 population, you’re still in good shape, according to Purdue.”

The rains dictated sizable replanting for Chuck Curran, a farmer with ground in west-central Indiana and east-central Illinois. “We just finished planting corn for the first time on Tuesday (May 23), but had to tear up 550 acres, including 250 acres in Illinois for replanting. We haven’t planted the bottoms yet because water is covering the ground.”

Curran noted the beans already planted fared better than the corn. “We have 500 acres of beans in the ground but have to replant 100. Beans aren’t planted as deeply as corn, so the heat we received did help.

“We still have 1,000 acres of beans left to plant. The river is still rising, so we have no idea when we’ll get to plant the bottoms,” he said.

Warmer temperatures and high winds also dried out fields, encouraging farmers to move quickly.

Greg Matli, of Indiana’s NASS office, reported regionally corn was 76 percent planted in the north, to 71 percent in the south. Corn was 40 percent emerged in the north while the south saw 53 percent emergence. Fifty percent of soybeans were planted and 17 percent emerged in central Indiana.

Very little of the winter wheat crop is rated excellent, but 51 percent is rated good. Illinois’ winter wheat hit 94 percent headed.

Both states’ alfalfa hay progress is up from 2016, with 28 percent of Indiana’s being cut last week compared to 17 percent a year ago. Illinois’ first cutting hit 39 percent, compared to last year’s 28 percent.

Clawson noted farmers’ attitudes are pretty positive even with planting’s soggy spring.

“We did have a significant amount of corn planted early, and that keeps guys optimistic. Even though replanting is happening, stands are pretty good. With the crop insurance rules changing, most farmers are replanting.”