May 13, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
Farmers may get a break
Warmer and drier weather is in forecast
Farmers may get a break
Local farmers may finally get a chance to make some planting progress by the end of this week.
Planting has been slow going — mostly non-existent — this spring thanks to cool, wet weather. But temperatures are expected to climb this week.
“Drying out, the sun and the heat will definitely help that out,” said extension educator Larry Temple of Jay County’s Purdue Extension office. “By the end of the week, that could help.”
The forecast calls for temperatures of 65 or higher beginning Tuesday, with highs of 75 of higher Saturday through May 21. No days over the next two weeks call for a chance of rain of greater than 40 percent.
Temple said for a majority of the county, it will probably take the rest of the week for farmers to be able to get in the fields.
This spring’s weather has greatly limited planting, with crop progress in Indiana trailing drastically behind its recent averages.
Barely any of the state’s two largest cash crops — corn and soybeans — had been planted as of the May 6 crop progress report from the United States Department of Agriculture. (The updated report is scheduled to be released at 4 p.m. today.)
The USDA report showed that just 3 percent of Indiana’s corn crop had been planted as of May 5. The average over the previous five years was 35 percent.
The number is even worse for soybeans, with just 1 percent in the ground.
Planting has been slow going — mostly non-existent — this spring thanks to cool, wet weather. But temperatures are expected to climb this week.
“Drying out, the sun and the heat will definitely help that out,” said extension educator Larry Temple of Jay County’s Purdue Extension office. “By the end of the week, that could help.”
The forecast calls for temperatures of 65 or higher beginning Tuesday, with highs of 75 of higher Saturday through May 21. No days over the next two weeks call for a chance of rain of greater than 40 percent.
Temple said for a majority of the county, it will probably take the rest of the week for farmers to be able to get in the fields.
This spring’s weather has greatly limited planting, with crop progress in Indiana trailing drastically behind its recent averages.
Barely any of the state’s two largest cash crops — corn and soybeans — had been planted as of the May 6 crop progress report from the United States Department of Agriculture. (The updated report is scheduled to be released at 4 p.m. today.)
The USDA report showed that just 3 percent of Indiana’s corn crop had been planted as of May 5. The average over the previous five years was 35 percent.
The number is even worse for soybeans, with just 1 percent in the ground.
Over the course of the last five years, that number has averaged 12 percent.
Those low numbers are because of the excess rain. As of May 5, Indiana had one day that was considered suitable for field work. Ohio and Michigan also had just one day, while Illinois had zero. The USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin last week showed Indiana’s subsoil moisture at a surplus of 66 percent.
As for the impact on farmers for the full season, Temple said they can still be OK.
“Some are still planning on planting corn,” he said, noting that some of the best corn he’s planted in the past hasn’t gone in the ground until about Memorial Day. “So, a lot of farmers understand it’s not too late yet.”
He said some farmers could switch to a variety of corn with a shorter maturity date.
“Soybeans, we’re still in good shape,” he added, while noting that in 2015 some acres in the county were not planted in soybeans because of the excessively wet conditions.
Jay County had some warm, dry weather early last week — Temple said about 350 acres of corn got planted in the Pennville area last week, but no progress was made elsewhere — but rain Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and this morning have continued what has already been at damp spring.
Those low numbers are because of the excess rain. As of May 5, Indiana had one day that was considered suitable for field work. Ohio and Michigan also had just one day, while Illinois had zero. The USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin last week showed Indiana’s subsoil moisture at a surplus of 66 percent.
As for the impact on farmers for the full season, Temple said they can still be OK.
“Some are still planning on planting corn,” he said, noting that some of the best corn he’s planted in the past hasn’t gone in the ground until about Memorial Day. “So, a lot of farmers understand it’s not too late yet.”
He said some farmers could switch to a variety of corn with a shorter maturity date.
“Soybeans, we’re still in good shape,” he added, while noting that in 2015 some acres in the county were not planted in soybeans because of the excessively wet conditions.
Jay County had some warm, dry weather early last week — Temple said about 350 acres of corn got planted in the Pennville area last week, but no progress was made elsewhere — but rain Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and this morning have continued what has already been at damp spring.
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