The first frost of the US planting season is set to roll through the eastern Midwest grain belt overnight Thursday, but was not expected to harm any of the corn that was sowed at the fastest ever pace amid mild weather, experts said on Thursday. The blast of cold weather will be followed by more cold early next week in the northern Midwest, but the experts said crop damage would be minimal, if any.
"Most of the early planted corn in the Midwest will be at no risk of damage from this particular bout of cold," said Drew Lerner, meteorologist for World Weather Inc. "We do not believe there will be much, if any, permanent crop damage due to the more advanced crops being located just to the south of where the coldest weather is expected," he said.
An unusually warm winter followed by summer-like early spring temperatures warmed topsoils to a level that corn could be planted with expectations of a rapid and safe emergence. A hard freeze could kill emerged corn but it appears farmers will dodge the bullet this time since not much corn has broken through the soil surface.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday said 3 percent of the US corn crop or nearly 3.0 million of the intended 95.864 million acres, the most in 75 years, had been planted as of Sunday and increased seedings were likely this week. USDA reported none of the crop as emerged and only a minor amount likely has broken above surface. Commodity Weather Group said there would be frost in Ohio and Indiana overnight Thursday but damage from a hard freeze, in the upper 20s F or colder, is unlikely.
A stronger cold push next Wednesday and Thursday will bring a moderate risk for freeze damage to emerging corn in the few fields across the northern half of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan that may be emerging, Commodity Weather Group said. John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring said improved planting weather is seen for the US Midwest through next week and frosty temperatures should cause no harm.
"This morning it looks drier in the Midwest late next week so there is a better planting outlook," Dee said. Dee said temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday would fall to freezing or a few degrees below, between 28 degrees and 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the northern Midwest, which would include northern Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota and Minnesota, but warm up by the end of the week. "It's something that bears watching, but most of the early planted corn is far enough south that I think it will dodge any damage," said Shawn McCambridge, grains analyst for Jefferies Bache. USDA on Monday said 1 percent of Indiana's crop had been planted, 1 percent in Ohio, 2 percent in Michigan, 5 percent in Illinois, 5 percent in Kentucky, 7 percent in Missouri, 1 percent in Nebraska, 10 percent in North Carolina, 15 percent in Tennessee and 48 percent in Texas.