WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Although 92 percent of the nation’s corn has been planted according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Progress reports through May 28, and emergence is on pace, early condition reports are weak.

 

Extension corn specialist and Purdue University agronomy professor Robert Nielsen said Indiana is actually behind the five-year NASS average progress rates.

“Planting has been interrupted two or three times since mid-April with frequent, and often excessive, rainfall. Not onlyhas that delayed planting across the state, but also resulted in problems with emergence and survival of young corn seedlings,” Nielsen said.

“Replanting of problem fields is reported to be near record high acreages, with many damaged fields left ‘as is’ because continued rains prevented timely replanting. My ‘windshield’ assessment of conditions statewide at the moment would be that this year’s corn crop is off to a stumbling start and will require a lot of favorable weather from here on in order to simply be an average crop.”

Monsanto Co. Knowledge Transfer Manager Randy Hagen said most Midwest states – Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan – are pretty well on track. He added Wisconsin is a little behind in planting.

He said the decision-making process – replant or not – now depends on geographic location, and those considering switching to soybeans could plant with the same maturation date as two weeks ago and get the same yield.

As for replanting decisions, Nielsen says on his website at www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/cafe that replanting a damaged field of corn in mid- to late May might require the use of a shorter-season corn hybrid than the one originally planted in the field.

“Consult my article about hybrid maturities for delayed planting

(Nielsen, 2017b) and start checking with your seed dealer about

availability of earlier maturity hybrids that also have good disease

resistance characteristics,” he wrote. “The latter is important because

late-planted corn, relative to earlier-planted corn, is vulnerable

to infection at relatively younger growth stages by foliar diseases (e.g., gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight) that typically begin to develop in late June to early July.”

And on the subject of disease, Hagen said, “It’s important to scout your fields throughout the year. Especially when we’ve had wet, cold springs, there’s the risk of fungal disease.” With 92 percent of the corn crop planted, Illinois was reporting 80 percent emerged; Indiana, 60 percent; Iowa, 82 percent; Kentucky, 74 percent; Michigan, 43 percent; Ohio, 62 percent; and Tennessee, 90 percent.

Hagen said Monsanto, and most seed companies, test for vigor standards, so that really shouldn’t be a problem. But if emergence is a problem, compaction may be an issue. He recommends aerating the soil to get warmth and air into it.

Weather conditions are starting to make an obvious difference in crop conditions. Corn condition was rated in Illinois as 8 percent excellent and 44 percent good; in Indiana, 6 percent excellent, 37 percent good; Iowa, 12 percent excellent,  61 percent good; Kentucky, 12 percent excellent, 73 percentgood; Michigan, 15 percent excellent, 60 percent good; Ohio, 6 percent excellent, 43 percent good; and Tennessee, 24 percent excellent, 57 percent good.

In Illinois, 62 percent of the state’s soybeans have been planted, as well as 54 percent in Indiana, 77 percent in Iowa, 45 percent in Kentucky, 56 percent in Michigan, 54 percent in Ohio and 53 percent in Tennessee.

Winter wheat was reportedly 98 percent headed in Illinois, and 90 percent in Indiana, 27 percent in Michigan and 94 percent in Ohio. Conditions were reported in Illinois as 9 percent excellent, 42 percent good; Indiana, 14 percent excellent, 52 percent good; Michigan, 16 percent excellent, 55 percent good;and in Ohio, 19 percent excellent, 60 percent good.

There was good news in the NASS report for farmers looking to get their livestock out on pasture. In Illinois, pasture conditions were rated at 27 percent excellent, 58 percent good; in Indiana, 15 percent excellent, 60 percent good; Kentucky, 15 percent excellent, 64 percent good; Michigan, 17 percent excellent, 57 percent good; Ohio, 10 percent excellent, 70 percent good; and in Tennessee, 12 percent excellent, 55 percent good.