NAPERVILLE, (Illinois): Although spring planting has begun in the United States, it will be a couple of weeks before farmers across the country are in full swing.
Warm weather expected for mid-month should be friendly to their efforts.
However, some of the most trying US planting seasons have occurred recently, mostly because of excessive rainfall and/or overly cool temperatures. The Northern Plains in particular have had difficulty lately, and that is not off the table for this year given the heavy snowpack.
It is still early to get a clear picture on spring planting weather, though May is the most active month for field work, emphasizing favourable weather starting in late April. Warmer and drier conditions are usually most ideal during this period.
As of Sunday, US corn was 2% planted, normal for the date. Numbers for spring wheat and soybeans are not yet available. On average over the last decade, US corn is about 28% planted by the end of April.
But because of recent delayed years, the five-year average, often used to compare weekly planting progress, is only 26% by April 30.
The difference in averages is much more severe for spring wheat. The recent five-year average is 22% planted as of April 30, well below the 10-year average of 30% and the 20-year at 38%. Last year, the spring wheat planting pace briefly hit an all-time low in late May, and corn was seeded at the third slowest rate in a quarter century. That was encouraged by record slow planting in waterlogged North Dakota. By mid-May 2019, US corn sowing hit an all-time slow pace due to excessive moisture across the Corn Belt. Soybean planting in North Dakota was also the slowest ever last year, but the national pace was only a bit behind average. The five-year April 30 average for soybean planting is 11%, close to the 10-year average of 9%.
Nationally, soybean planting got off to a record fast start in 2020 then cooled off into late May, though 2021 featured an even faster start and one of the quickest finishes ever.
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