Ag Weather Forum

The latest crop reports continue to indicate corn planting is falling further behind normal in the southern U.S. This is most evident in Louisiana where only 1 percent of the crop has been planted versus 48 percent normal. Planting is only 14 percent complete in Texas versus 37 percent normal. Planting has yet to get underway in Arkansas and Mississippi.

The current cold and wet pattern is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. It is unlikely that much additional progress will be made through the first week of April.

At some point, producers in the South will have to decide whether to shift acreage out of corn and into soybeans, cotton or sorghum. The general rule is that you don’t want to plant corn late in the South because of the likelihood that if you do, the crop will pollinate during the hottest time of the year, which would impact yields. However, with the past couple of summers being on the cool side, that has not been as much of a factor with southern corn yields being quite good.

The southern and eastern Midwest are also on the wet side, which will slow planting and fieldwork. However, if this summer is like the last couple of years, once the crop does get planted it will likely experience little stress and yields could be quite good.

Another thing we are keeping our eyes on is the persistent drought in the western U.S. We have seen glimpses of hot and dry weather extending eastward out of the western U.S. into the Plains and northwest Midwest recently. Due to the lack of snow in the northern Plains this winter, and the dryness in the central Plains, this situation will be watched closely for any signs that it could become a more persistent feature this spring.

Mike

(ES/SK/AG)

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