Iowa’s planting season has been interrupted by almost daily rain, and that’s stressing corn and soybean growers who have huge investments in land, seed and fertilized that won’t pay off unless they can get seeds in the soil on time.
The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture update says as of May 26th, 76 percent of Iowa’s intended corn acreage was planted. That’s 10 days later than last year’s pace, which was also plagued by muddy fields. Farmer’s concern is understandable because this year’s corn planting progress is two weeks behind the five-year average, and tardiest since 1995.
Iowa State University agronomists say that although optimum corn planting dates vary across Iowa, corn planted after mid-May concedes yield potential.
Some farmers are exchanging seed intended for a full growing season for short-season corn seeds, but potentially sacrificing harvest yields.
Rain isn’t only delaying planting. It’s also retarding germination, 10 days behind the five-year average at this stage of the season. Planted corn seed lies in cool, saturated soil.
“With these kinds of planting conditions--we didn’t have great yields last year and there’s concerns that it’ll be too wet again this year,” said Wayne Johnson, who grows corn and soybeans in the Titonka, Forest City and Mason City region near the Minnesota border. “What happens is crops start to rot in the draws and in the pockets, and you have yield reductions.”
Waiting for fields to dry before moving planting machinery is also causing labor problems.
“The challenge is with labor,” Johnson said. “Having a good labor pool and working only one or two days a week. It’s really difficult to keep everybody busy and keep their chins up when you’re not doing what you’re hired to do.”
While the soybean planting deadlines can be later, USDA says Iowa’s less than one-third of intended acres planted by May 26th is two weeks later than average, and the least since 1993.
Conditions are even worse in neighboring states. Illinois has planted only 35 percent of its intended corn acreage, Nebraska 70 percent and Missouri 62 percent. Minnesota has two-thirds planted. South Dakota’s 25 percent planted compares to the five-year average of 90-percent complete by this stage of the growing season.