If #Plant24 feels like the season that will never quite end, you are not alone!
A southwestern Indiana farmer tells Brownfield Ag News that it has been the longest planting season he has ever experienced.
Mark Sieb says that he started the last week of March and just wrapped up two weeks ago.
Growing stages on the farm vary with corn ranging from waist-high to just now coming out of the ground.
USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report shows the rest of the state follows that trend with Indiana corn now 94% planted, 83% emerged, and soybeans 89% planted and 77% emerged.
Above-normal precipitation has been somewhat to blame for the extended planting season.
That has been no different for the state of Missouri.
Over the past week, rain has delayed fieldwork, but it has also improved soil moisture.
USDA says that most of the state’s corn has been planted and already emerged with conditions rating 69% good to excellent. Soybeans are fairing similarly with 79% panted and 64% good to excellent.
Meanwhile, rain has helped pastures with hay supplies at 82% adequate to surplus and conditions rating 84% in the top category.
According to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey, those recent rains have not slowed down planting too much:
“Continuing to see some relatively respectable planting progress in spite of the weather, we saw another 9% planted during the week ending June 9th to reach 87% nationally on that date. Three points ahead of the five-year average. A bit behind last year’s 95%, we see three states where the planting progress is double digits ahead of the five-year average: Arkansas, Missouri, and Ohio making that list.”
The availability of essential ag inputs has not been as big of an issue this year as in years past.
However, Nebraska farmer Greg Anderson told Brownfield Ag News that while he has had his pick of products this season, high price challenges still remain. The corn and soybean grower shared good yields and a bounce in commodity prices will be necessary to make a profit.
