US Crop Watch growers are off to a good start to corn and soybean plantings as moisture levels have largely recovered from last summer’s dry spell, resulting in satisfactory early soil conditions .
Progress could be disrupted later this week and over the weekend due to heavy rain, which could exceed 76mm, concentrated over the central Corn Belt. Producers are not yet afraid of significant delays.
Crop Watch tracks 11 corn fields and 11 soybean fields in nine U.S. states, including two in Iowa and Illinois. This is the seventh consecutive year that the project has been implemented, with the same producers and locations as last year. In 2021, the Crop Watch project was extended to 11 producers, compared to 8 previously.
Weekly reports, which include crop assessments, weather updates and photos, will begin after affected fields emerge. So far, growers are reporting the planting pace is average to slightly ahead in their areas, with only Kansas corn and western Illinois soybeans considered fast.
As of Tuesday, seven of Crop Watch’s 22 fields had been seeded, including four to soybeans. This figure is identical to that of 2021 (seven fields and four soybeans on the same date), but higher than those of 2023 and 2022 (five and three fields planted respectively).
An eighth field, Minnesota corn, was being planted late Tuesday. Fields planted include corn in Kansas, Indiana and Nebraska, and soybeans in western Illinois, western Iowa, Indiana and southeastern Illinois.
Up to five additional fields could be completed by the end of April, weather permitting, maintaining the efficient pace of 2021. Crop Watch plantings finish earliest in 2021 , the last two fields being sown on May 18.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Statistical Service estimated U.S. corn planting was 12% complete, up from 6% the previous week and 10% on the five-year average. Soybeans were planted at 7%, compared to 3% last week and 4% on average.
CONDITIONS AND PLANS
Nearly all Crop Watch growers report adequate or ideal soil moisture conditions. Soils are very dry in Kansas, and topsoil is good in Nebraska, although subsoil moisture is almost empty. Fields in western Illinois are also drier than normal.
A year ago at this time, most Crop Watch growers were also reporting excellent soil moisture conditions for planting, but these deteriorated in mid-summer as the June was one of the driest on record. Abundant rainfall in early July saved the harvest, allowing corn yield to reach a national record in 2023.
In North Dakota, where acreage devoted to corn, soybeans and other crops tends to vary from year to year, the Crop Watch producer reduced some planned acreage for spring wheat in profit from soya. In his region, certain areas of specialized crops are also likely to be devoted to soya.
The South Dakota grower has heard rumors that some corn acreage may be devoted to beans, and the Ohio grower has indicated that more beans will be planted in areas where cash flow is limited.
On the other hand, the Kansas producer says that if the drought persists, some soybean acreage will likely be allocated to sorghum. The recent drought has caused winter wheat conditions to plummet in his region.
The El Nino weather pattern typically brings more rain to Kansas in the spring, but the state’s central agricultural district, where Crop Watch fields are located, has been drier than last year. Since March 1, rainfall in the district has been 21% of normal, compared to 30% for the same period last year. Temperatures have also been much higher.
The latest USDA progress report reflects wheat’s recent woes, as national conditions for winter wheat fell to 50% good or excellent on Sunday, down from 55% a week earlier. Analysts had expected 54%, with a low of 52%, but the latest rating is still well above the previous year’s 26%.
Winter wheat conditions in Kansas fell to 36% good to excellent, down from 43% a week earlier and 14% a year earlier. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. The opinions expressed above are his own.
