SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Machinery belonging to many farmers in Illinois and across the Midwest remained idle in barns as growers awaited a break from lingering wet and cold weather conditions that continued to prevent spring field work and early soybean planting before Easter weekend. According to the USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service weekly Illinois Crop Progress and Condition report, there were just 0.8 days suitable for field work during the week ending April 10. 

“Illinois is fairly wet, with 46 percent surplus soil moisture across the state,” said Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician for USDA-NASS.

The impact of planting date on projections of corn and soybean yield is always an important issue at this time of year, according to Scott Irwin of the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. “The latest weekly Crop Progress report from the USDA indicates that only two percent of the 2022 U.S. corn crop was planted as of April 10. While this is only slightly less than the five-year average for this week, the concern is that cold and wet conditions in much of the U.S. Corn Belt will cause planting progress to fall behind the normal pace, and this will in turn reduce yield potential,” Irwin wrote in an article published on the U of I famdocDAILY website on April 14. 

The U.S.Geological Survey reported that preliminary precipitation totals around Illinois from April 7-14 ranged from 3.07 inches in Olmstead (Pulaski County), 2.16 inches in Mount Carmel (Wabash County) and 1.77 inches in Carmi (White County) to 1.24 inches in Urbana (Champaign County) and lesser amounts in northern Illinois, according to the Illinois Farm Bureau. By April 19, 2021 Illinois farmers had planted 12 percent of corn and five percent of soybeans in the state, both four points ahead of average.

In non-flooded areas of the state the prolonged storms improved topsoil moisture rating to 50 percent adequate, 46 percent surplus and just four percent short, the NASS report showed. Grant Noland, a Macon County farmer, found the increase in topsoil moisture to be a silver lining to an otherwise unproductive early spring.

“We’ve been in one of the areas that has experienced the persistent rainfall.  We are now fortunate to have the subsoil moisture fully charged entering spring,” said Noland, who is a proponent of early-planted soybeans. “Conditions have allowed for limited field operations and more has historically been done by this date, but we were able to plant 200 (soybean) acres during the limited windows of opportunity.  Every spring is beautifully different!” 

AJ Woodyard, a farmer in Edgar County, had been unable to plant early soybeans during the first two weeks of April, something the lead agronomist for Advanced Agrilytics has done for many years. “We’ve had many of our best yields from planting dates in early to mid-April, but the window did not present itself,” Woodyard said.

“Our fall field work has us prepped to move quickly once it does dry out, and we know from experience that we don’t lose much yield potential in the latter half of April, so there’s still time to maximize most of our opportunity.  Once the calendar turns into May, our yield potential decreases more substantially by the day and we’ll consider strategies we can implement to try and mitigate against some of that potential loss, if that scenario presents itself.” Woodyard added.

Patrick Kirchhofer, manager of the Peoria County Farm Bureau, said the concern of wet conditions is minimal at this point. 

“Farmers have their planters ready to go when the weather does cooperate and with today’s equipment and technology, they can plant it fast and accurately.  If you were asking this same question on May 11 with wet weather in the forecast, there would be some concern,” Kirchhofer said. “It’s important that farmers remain patient during wet field conditions and keep heavy equipment off of fields to reduce compaction and the negative impact compaction will have if it turns dry this summer.”

Irwin agreed that corn and soybean crops can still be planted in a timely manner given that the optimal planting window does not end until roughly mid-May. “Of course, this will depend on weather conditions over the next month and the speed with which corn and soybean planting can progress,” he said. 

“Many of our producers have learned some lessons over the past number of years regarding soils that are not fit to plant,” said Kim Craig, grain merchandiser for Danvers Farmers Elevator (DME, formerly Bell Enterprises) of Tazewell and Woodford counties. “We are very wet here in central Illinois and it just may be a bit before soil temps and moisture allow the producers to feel it’s time (to plant).”