Crop Conditions

Planting progress in this region was rapid over the last week or so. Most of the corn and soybean acres are now planted. The north side of this territory had less progress because of more rain last week. Considering we are past mid-May, planting is somewhat behind schedule but still within the acceptable window for optimum crop yields. Soil conditions warmed up dramatically since late April which is ideal for fast seedling growth. Generally, all seed was planted into enough moisture to get started, but more rainfall soon would benefit emerging seedlings. The two-week weather outlook is somewhat cooler with about normal chances of rainfall. La Nina conditions remain in the forecast for this summer, so we still have elevated chances of warm and dry.

The earlier planted corn and soybeans have already emerged and generally look good. Recent warm weather helped to speedup emergence and crop growth. All corn and soybeans planted in May should have fast emergence compared to recent years, which is perfect considering the slow start we had in April. I expect nearly all farms will be planted by the end of the week in this region. Overall, I’d say we’re off to a good start.