Crop Comments

May Crop Comments

May 16, 2012

Use this link to send us your comments (or e-mail CropComments@agweb.com) about the crops in your local area. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.

See AgWeb's interactive Crop Comments!

Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:

5/16 - Sampson County, N.C.: Corn is about 18" tall, consistent stand and about 1" of rain per week since planting.

-- Sampson County, N.C.

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5/16 - Texas: The forecast for Texas cotton remains mixed, depending upon which part of the state you’re talking about, said Dr. Gaylon Morgan, associate professor and Texas AgriLife Extension Service state cotton specialist, College Station. On May 15, Morgan had recently returned from the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend, and Upper Gulf Coast with an encouraging report. Recent rains in South Texas, in many places very substantial ones, had vastly benefited the recently planted cotton crop there, he said. "Cotton in the Valley looked overall pretty good, with cotton just emerging to cotton already flowering," Morgan said. "They had good moisture early and actually got a couple of showers when I was down there. They were pretty pleased."

Both cotton and electric-generating windmills sprout in Willacy County in early May. Good rains in South Texas have made cotton growers optimistic, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service state cotton specialist. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Dr. Gaylon Morgan)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

5/16 - East central Iowa: We are custom planting no-till beans. We’re praying for it to start raining again. Videos courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

5/15 - Lyon, Minn.: Crop planting is progressing nicely. Personally, we will finish up today or tomorrow depending on any hiccups planting. Area itself is getting some big gains, and I would suspect most guys will be done or near done by the end of the week. Last monsoon rainfall has caused drownouts and washouts that will need to be replanted, and unfortunately, it created some crusting. Had about 5,000 plants/acre covered by crusting that we are hoping to get a rotary hoe to break it up. Corn is yellow and needs a nice warm week to get it going.

5/15 - Sampson County, N.C.: Corn is about 18" tall, consistent stand and about 1" of rain per week since planting.

5/14 - Palo Alto County, Iowa: Should be done planting soybeans on Tuesday. Had a hard pounding rain about 10 days ago with some hail that has made a heck of a crust on the ground, so having a few issues with corn coming up. Finally getting some heat, but a nice warm shower would be good around here.

5/14 - Macoupin County, Ill.: 100% planted on corn. May have about 4% (25 ac.) of the corn to replant. Roughly 75% planted on soybeans. May have about 5% (15 ac.) of the soybeans to replant already. Just waiting to see if we get to plant the same variety.

5/14 - Western Marshall County, Minn.: Our entire crop is in the ground. But what started out to be a great planting season is going bad. In the northern Red River Valley, the top 3" of soil is very dry. We haven’t had a good rain in over a month. Sugar beets are sprouting and dying off, hurting the stand count. Most of the soybeans (just planted) are lying in dry soil. The spring wheat is looking good on the heavier ground, but lighter soil is starting to yellow and go backwards. Need a good 1" soaker in the next 10 days or so, or we will be in big trouble!
5/14 - McLennan County, Texas: Corn is tasselling and setting ears just got about 2" of rain. Wheat harvest has begun, yields of 60 to 70 bu. are common, cotton is up and growing well.

5/14 - East central Iowa: Planting last 7 acres of corn (first time). Corn in immediate area is 90% done, beans 40% (my best guess). 40 miles south (by Quad Cities), it sounds like it may be kind of a mess: 5"-8" of rain over a week ago, along with cool temps, have messed up a lot of corn. A lot of those guys just got back into the fields a couple of days ago (they haven't planted since April 27). 10 days ago, we wanted the rain to stop and now we will be praying for a rain in a couple of days (got to love Mother Nature). A lot of hay is being made around here. Videos courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

5/11 - Hendricks County, Ind.: Corn and soybeans have emerged.
5/11 - Billings, Mont.: Corn planting is done and we need rain in the worst way. Some of corn planted spouted and now laying dry, some will come but we need rain soon, already started irrigating grains, this is the earliest I have ever started water in my 30 years of farming, it looks ugly around here!

5/11 - Louisiana: LSU AgCenter Correspondent Craig Gautreaux explains why cotton acreage is down this year and shows us what crop farmers are planting instead. Video courtesy of www.twilatv.org.

5/10 - Hagerstown, Ind.: We have been done with corn since April 20 (650 acres) and are half done with soybeans and can't seem to get a break from the rain to get finished. On a side note, the subsoil moisture is dry 6' deep and we need the rain regularly.

5/10 - Hillsdale, Mich.: Planted corn on March 25. Stand is only 1 in 3. Will have to replant. Corn planted 10 days ago coming up good. If weather holds, we will be done in 7-10 days.

5/10 - Nobles County, Minn.: Corn was planted in good shape between April 24 and 28. All of it has emerged as of today but most of it is a sick yellow color. We need sunshine! There are hardly any beans planted here yet. This past weekend we had three awful heavy rainfalls that did a lot of erosion and have made the worked ground rock hard. Two weeks ago we were dry, now we have drowned-out spots. Is there ever a "happy medium" between drought and flash flooding? Answer: Not here!

5/10 - Scottsbluff, Neb.: Corn in this area is probably about 75% planted. We are extremely dry, need a rain shortly. Winter moisture was almost nothing.
5/10 - Eaton County, Mich.: We have not done a thing in the fields since April 29 due to continuing rains every three days. In our area we are 20% planted to corn and 5% soybeans. Expecting very cold weather tonight along with more rain. (Had some ¼" hail today with heavy downpours.) Next week is looking to be dry and 70s. Let the planters roll!

5/10 - Ohio: Farmers in Ohio are saying the difference between planting this year and last year is like night and day. Learn more about the I-80 Planting Tour.

5/9 - Billings, Mont.: Corn planting is done, we need rain in the worst way. Some of corn planted spouted and now laying dry, some will come but we need rain soon. Already started irrigating grains, this is the earliest I have ever started water in my 30 years of farming. It looks ugly around here!

5/9 - Jefferson County, N.Y.: 700 acres of corn planted three weeks ago still not up, has been very wet with 2" of rain last night. Planted 250 acres of soybeans on Monday the 7th and now the ground has water standing everywhere. Hay crop will be very light with all of the cold weather the last three weeks. Strange spring for sure!

5/9 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: Last night frost in the South Platte Valley south of here. Saturday we had hail in the southwest part of the county. Damage near 100% in some fields. Wheat here is starting to head, so any damage from hail or frost is catastrophic. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/9 - East central Iowa: Picture is of a sinkhole that was starting in the middle of a field that I was planting. We have been lucky in my immediate area to be running since Friday while others just to my south haven't moved since Friday, April 27. Dairy farmers are starting to cut hay.

-- East central Iowa

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5/9 - Lyon County, Minn.: About 90% of corn is in, 20% of soybeans are in around the area. We are finally getting rain, however this past weekend, the 4"-6" that we got came down too fast and was a gully washer and ran off. Not too much soaked into the ground. I think soils are getting some moisture recharge, but we will need timely rains to make a good crop.

5/9 - Texas: What’s surprising in early May is not that West Texas is so dry, but that the eastern half of the state is in relatively good condition, said Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, state climatologist and regents professor at Texas A&M University. "The thing that was unexpected was having East Texas not be in an extreme drought right now," Nielsen-Gammon said. "We had a second year of La Niña last winter. It just finally ended officially last month. And normally -– four years out of five -– you end up with a dry winter. So things have worked out as well as possibly can be expected for East Texas."

Weed pressure continued to be a problem in many pastures. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Logan Lair)

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5/9 - Washington, Miss.: I'm in the Mississippi Delta and our crops are in good shape. We were just starting to irrigate corn, so today’s showers were welcome. Video courtesy of muleheadedfarmer’s YouTube channel.

5/9 - Northwest Iowa: We are along the Cherokee-Plymouth County Line on Highway 3 in northwest Iowa. Most guys are finishing up planting corn and starting on beans. Terribly dry here, we're up to 4.15" since the 1st of March.

-- Northwest Iowa

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5/9 - Allen County, Kan.: Have had quite a bit of recent rain totaling around 6.5". Pretty much all of the corn is in the ground and has emerged with vigor! The last couple of storms have been a little nerve racking: forecasted hail with weather watches and warnings, with just heavy rains and a little wind and copious amounts of lightning and thunder. Was set to plant soybeans last week until Mother Nature decided to change the schedule, additionally some remaining ground to be worked. Oat crop is well ahead, with it beginning to head! The wheat is looking real good as it is beginning to change colors the filling goes to final maturity. It is nice to see the moisture with last summer still very present in our minds. Now it just needs to cooperate so we can get the beans in and move forward to erasing last year’s disappointment. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
5/9 - Saginaw County, Mich.: Update video on April 13, mid-Michigan planted corn following temps as low as 25° prior to emergence. The corn was planted at 36,000 into mid 60s degree soil, and a warm rain following planting had all of it germinated and growing before we began the two-week cold spell. During this cold period, we had several hard freezes before emergence, including a record cold 25.3° temp on the morning of April 30. Soil temp that morning at the spike depth of ½" was 32°, and at 1½" depth soil temps measured 38-40. With a quick warm-up, all of it had emerged within three to five days of the freeze, with very little apparent damage. After nearly three weeks in the ground, I was pleased that most of it emerged within 48 hours of each other, with a few stranglers extending that to 72 hours. I measured the emerged population in a few places today at around 32,000 to 35,000. Without the warm rain following planting getting everything germinated, cold inhibition injury during the cold spell would likely have been a problem. None of that later planted corn here is emerged yet to note how it did with the cold. Video courtesy of PrairieCordgrass’s YouTube channel.

5/8 - Sanborn County, S.D.: We were done planting corn by May 3 with some corn coming up, now 5" of rain on May 4 and 5. We have lousy 15% due to low areas. Also may have lost land in James River Valley for fourth year in a row.

5/8 - Livingston/LaSalle Counties, Ill.: Wheat looks very good in this part of the country. Most just finished heading over the weekend. I suggest that with normal weather, the crop should start harvesting at least two and maybe three weeks earlier than normal. Corn is mostly planted, finishing even in April. Most has emerged. Some is having to emerge again as we have received over 5" of rain in the past week, with another storm rolling through early this morning. A lot of flooding and ponding as of yesterday afternoon. I was tempted to cut alfalfa in late March but sprayed it instead. Felt the cool nights in the 30s in late April would not benefit drying, so we sprayed for alfalfa weevil. Still have not cut. Did just start to see bud formation on Friday. Will try to cut as soon as the ground becomes solid and these storms move out. Very few soybeans have been planted! Be safe! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/8 - Western side of Texas panhandle and Eastern New Mexico: We are still very dry. Have a spotty 1" to ½" of rain all of last year and ¼" this year since Jan 1.

5/8 - Iroquois County, Ill.: Water everywhere in northwest Iroquois County. 3" to 8" with hail and damaging wind, hail up to baseball size. Windows broke, steel roofs dented, windshields broke. Possible tornado in Watseka area. Lots of corn replanting in a week to 10 days from now.
5/8 - Barron County, Wis.: We have planted 2,500 acres of corn and have not started soybeans yet. A month ago, we thought that we'd be done with all of the planting and be making hay by the end of April. As it looks now, the hay will come off next week and the bean planting might have to wait until the first cutting of hay is finished. It’s been a mixed-up spring, with May weather in March and April returning to much more normal. Plenty of rain here in the last 10 days. Could use some heat...it’s been quite cool. No crops emerged here yet even though some was planted in mid-April.
5/8 - Dawson County, Mont.: We are busy seeding, but it is terribly dry and windy. There have been some showers around us, but 0.86" a couple weeks ago and a few sprinkles since is all we've gotten.

5/8 - Washington, Miss.: I'm in the Mississippi Delta and our crops are in good shape. We were just starting to irrigate corn, so today’s showers were welcome. Video courtesy of muleheadedfarmer’s YouTube channel.

5/8 - Freeborn County, Minn.: We went from drought to drenched in a week and a half of rain (3.25-plus inches). Half of corn planted and starting to come up, other half still in the bag.

5/8 - Steele County, Minn.: We went from bone dry to water standing in the fields. Our corn is planted. No beans yet. Planters have been shut down since April 28. Some early planted corn fields are up.

5/7 - Faribault County, Minn.: Looks like we should have planted corn before the crop insurance date. We started on 4/12 and that corn is up and the stand is good. Should have gone a couple of days sooner and we would be done now. Instead we have almost a fourth left to plant and the ground is saturated with ponds everywhere. Forecast this week is cool with showers. Three to four weeks ago everyone thought planting would be a cakewalk, now it’s turned into kind of a mess.

5/7 - Lake County, S.D.: Have a mess again this spring. After a nice fall and early spring, things looked promising! Got an early jump on planting corn, but Mother Nature has again put her two words in! Anywhere from 3.7" up to 5.8" have fallen in the last 48 hours. It all came down in about a total rain time of an hour or so...gully washers! A lot of planted acres underwater, and a lot of acres that will be prevent plant this year again. Hoping for dryer weather here!

5/7 - Central Wisconsin between Madison and Green Bay: Started seeing corn planting on April 27 in the area. Since I got rained out on April 30 with 200 acres of corn planted, I have received 9.5" of rain. Lots of standing water. Hope corn is OK, but can't imagine it will be -- just too much water. Not much planting done in area at all. If rain stops and some drying weather, maybe can get back in fields in 7 to 10 days. Already weather is cutting into yield here.

5/7 - Charles Mix County, S.D.: Very wet all of a sudden. One month ago, we were concerned about drought. We were very dry, now water standing everywhere. Probably 40% of the corn is in. Maybe 10% of the beans are planted. Any wheat stubble that needs to go to corn will be a hell of a challenge. Winter wheat looks great, flag leaf is out. Probably may have some fields shooting heads this next week. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
5/7 - Western Louisa County, southeast Iowa: Got hammered May 3 with 4"-6" in about three hours. A lot of erosion. In southeast Washington County, F2 tornado. A lot of damage between Wayland and Crawfordsville, Iowa.

5/7 - East central Iowa: We've been delayed due to rain, but are now back in the field. We're fortunate to be running again. Videos courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

5/7 - Caldwell County, Mo.: We had 2 plus inches of rain in the last two days. We were ready to plant beans.

-- Caldwell County, Mo.

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

5/7 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: Corn planted April 18 through 20 just starting to pop out of ground. We haven’t turned a wheel since April 20. We don’t get a lot of rain, but it comes every two to three days. They’re showing good for the weekend, then rain three days in a row next week.

5/7 - Sunray, Texas: The farmer thinks it'll yield around 70. Normally it's around 85. He's pleased, however, because it's much better than last year. Due to the drought, last year this field didn't make anything. Still in need of rain, but the water situation is improving. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

-- Sunray, Texas

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

5/4 - South central North Dakota: We finished corn last night. Next project, spray small grains (yes, they are that far along), topdress winter wheat with 28%, start planting beans in about a week. Conditions have been near ideal, with timely rain showers, nothing excessive. We are off to a good start. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/4 - Graves County, Ky.: It is dry, no rainfall since March 24.
5/4 - Northeast Iowa: I've had 5" of rain in the last 13 days and don't have a single kernel in the ground. We'll need a few days of sunshine just to get started. Soil temps have been swinging from upper 40s to low 60s. I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it!

5/3 - Yoakum, Texas: This last week in Yoakum County, planters are rolling and have picked up the pace as the week has continued. Farmers are working to put in this year's peanut crop, which is approximately 30% planted for Yoakum County at this time. There has been little precipitation and soil conditions remain dry, with temperatures around 70°. Ambient temps have been in the 90s while cooling off to the 60s at night. During the afternoon, high winds continue to persist. As far as this year's cotton crop, most are waiting for a good planting rain. Pasture conditions remain to be poor.

5/3 - Faribault County, Minn.: Well, planted our first corn on March 29 and believe it or not we're still not done. Never had such a wide planting window as this year! Guess we won't know when the right time to plant was until the combines roll this fall, but early indications show early corn looks really good! Hard to believe two weeks ago we were begging for rain -- now it won't quit. Mother Nature rules!

5/3 - Western Walsh County, northeast North Dakota: Planting is going better than I could possibly have imagined. Not a wet spot on the farm. We are seeding through low ground, drainage ditches, that we have been driving around since 1993. The top half-inch of soil is dry, with excellent moisture just below the surface. Acres are going in at a record pace. Many are done with their wheat (I am not) and starting to get the canola in. We have seeded much of our hard red spring wheat, peas and barley. Dry beans and soybeans will be seeded about mid-May. We are only 30 miles from the Canadian border...a killing frost is a very real possibility until late May. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/3 - Perquimans County, N.C.: Wet. Corn up and growing. Waiting for it to dry out before starting on cotton and soybeans. Cotton losing some acres to soybeans in this area.
5/3 - East central Iowa: I don't want to sound like the sky is falling, but someone is definitely lowering the ceiling. Nothing has moved since Friday night. We received close to 1" Saturday and Sunday (along with colder temps), and we are getting dumped on as I type (Wednesday a.m.). We have the potential to get another 1"-3" between now and Sunday. So much for being early. It must be our turn to have trouble getting the crop planted. Some guys have not started and some may be 50%-60 % done. Don't see much happening around here until next week at the earliest. Our March was warmer than our April (as well as dryer). Made some hay 10 days ago, but the rest may not get done for a while. Dairy-quality hay is quickly disappearing. Got to love it or we wouldn't do it.

5/1 - Ripley County, Ind.: Finished planting corn April 30 at 3:30 p.m. Only the third time in 43 years that I planted corn in April. Very small amount of acreage planted. Conditions were very good. Guess that neighbors thought it was too early.

5/1 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: TV reports out of Denver showed a lot of hail in the Stratton-Idalia area of eastern Colorado. The wheat had to be jointed to near or headed. There was enough hail to total the wheat in the areas that were hit. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/1 - St. Clair County, Ill.: Wheat is shredded from hail. Had 500 acres planted two days before the storm and flood. We will replant all but 35 acres. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/1 - Ingham County, Mich.: Some guys are done planting corn, beans are over half done. Last year we started planting May 5. Wheat looks below average. Too cold and too many frosty mornings. Have always heard wheat is hard to kill, we are proof that's a true statement. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

5/1 - Kansas: During the 55th annual Hard Winter Wheat Tour, put on by the Wheat Quality Council, around 100 scouts are crisscrossing Kansas as well as parts of Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma. Learn how they sample each wheat field and determine a yield estimate. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

Comments (0)

April Crop Comments

Apr 30, 2012

Use this link to send us your comments (or e-mail CropComments@agweb.com) about the crops in your local area. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.

See AgWeb's interactive Crop Comments!

Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:

4/30 - Huntington County, Ind.: We finished corn on April 24, earliest ever. All that I have checked has at least sprouted and the earliest has begun to emerge. We are about 70% done with beans. We are very dry, but the soil has been about perfect condition for planting. Some warm weather and rain would really help.

4/30 - Kearney County, Neb.: 100% corn planted.

4/30 - Saginaw County, Mich.: A series of hard freezes was capped today with record cold, 25.3° at our location, breaking an over 100-year-old record Sunday morning. No corn emerged locally yet, but I measured 32° soil temp 0.5" deep at dawn. The tip of our earliest (planted April 13) corn coleoptile is still 0.5" to 1" below the surface, and a big warm-up begins today. My guess is the corn will be fine, but we will see over the next week when given the forecast, it should all emerge. After a record warm and dry March and early April, such a hard freeze at the very end of April is certainly unwelcome. Our local alfalfa and even the grass in our CREP is showing the effects from all the recent very, very cold temps.

4/30 - Hendricks County, Ind.: Finished planting soybeans on April 26. Need some warm weather and some sunshine, although a shower wouldn't hurt. The last 200 acres of corn is crusted over. Early stand counts 31,000 to 35,000. Hope the rest of the corn comes up as well as the first planted did.

4/30 - Ward County, N.D.: Application maps indicate more surface water in potholes this spring than last fall. Planting is difficult, all low ground is too wet, hilltops just right. Rain in the forecast for next five days. Yields will be down at least 25% if growing conditions are perfect. 25% of the acres in the pothole region are still underwater. It will take time for the water to go down.

-- Ward County, N.D.

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

4/30- Logan County, Ohio: We finished planting corn yesterday, just as the rain was coming in. We got 1.2 inches overnight. No beans planted yet. Corn is half-way done.

4/27 - O’Brien County, Iowa: We started planting corn April 24 and are 85% done. We may finish up today, depending on when it starts to rain. We can use more rain, but soil conditions are good.

4/27 - East central Iowa: Good luck finding a planter sitting in the shed around here. Yesterday (Thursday) everyone was planting like mad before the weather forecast takes a turn for the worse. We have chances just about every day for the next week (along with cooler temps.)

-- East central Iowa

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

4/26 - Yoakum County, Texas: Across the county, above-average ambient temperatures, above-average soil temperatures, and below-average precipitation continue to be experienced. Approximately 5% of the peanut acres have been planted, to date. Producers are possibly a week out from beginning cotton planting, all are looking for a general planting rain. Soil conditions are dry, with above-average soil temps. Forage quality has diminished, with range and pasture conditions being very poor.

4/26 - Kearny County, southwest Kansas: The wheat crop out here really took a beating in the last five days. Lots of wheat has about died or has lost a lot of yield potential. If we don't get a rain in the next few days, we will lose a lot of wheat out here. We were looking at a real good wheat crop. We had moisture all spring when we needed it, but we never really got enough to build up our profile from the drought that has been ongoing. Irrigated corn is going into the ground fast. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/26 - Iowa: April has brought cooler temperatures, and this has caused planting to slow in much of the Midwest. In Iowa, planting is just getting started. During our third stop along the I-80 Planting Tour, AgDay’s Tyne Morgan spoke to two young producers who are just beginning to plant. Read more: Planting in Iowa: 'We've Got a Long Way to Go'

4/26 - Hillsdale, Mich.: Corns going in pretty heavy right now, and a few have started planting beans. It wouldn't hurt to get a little rain, as we are borderline dry.

4/26 - East central Iowa: I would have to say just about everybody started planting Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope the weather will cooperate and start to warm up. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

4/25 - New London, Conn.: We got 800 acres planted by 4/21 and had 3.5" rain on 4/22.

4/25 - LaGrange, Ind.: I just finished spring tillage. Hay crop is looking good and I’m getting antsy to get in and mow. Have not started planting yet, but soon.

4/25 - Steuben County, N.Y.: We got about 3" of heavy snow. We already have 158 acres of 900 in due to the warm weather last week (82° on the 16th). We currently have about 65 acres of potatoes in as well.

4/25 - Texas: Though there remained large areas still stricken, the number of counties under drought conditions continued to shrink, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service reports and the U.S. Drought Monitor. From Interstate 45 to the east, most counties were either completely out of the drought or merely abnormally dry. Though most of the counties to the west of I-45 remained under drought, only about 25% were rated as being in severe or exceptional drought.

Rains brought on a spring flush of cool-season grasses in many areas, providing lush grazing for livestock. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Steve Byrns)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

4/24 - Clinton County, Ind.: We are starting to talk about the fact that this is the driest spring on record in our area. There is locally well over half of the corn and beans in here, but we are rapidly running out of moisture.

4/24 - Jefferson County, N.Y.: 3" of wet snow on 4/23 and then about 2" of much needed rain. Planted 700 acres of corn by 4/20, about 30% done.

4/24 - Spalding, Neb.: Corn going in at a fast pace. Ideal planting conditions. A lot of field work was completed throughout the winter. The local fertilizer distributors are doing a good job keeping up with the farmers as well. Got down to 32° last night so I hope that is the end of the cold nights. Weather shows a system coming in at the end of the week.

4/24 - Jasper County, Iowa: We could use some dry warm days. No planting done on our farm. It's been too wet or too cold. The soil just about gets dry enough to plant and then we get more rain.

4/24 - Wells County, Ind.: A lot of my neighbors who planted the 1st of April are 50% done. Others have just started. This past week we have lost temperature in the ground. Soil temperatures are around 40°. I only have 100 acres of corn and plan to start Thursday or Friday this week. Would like to have soil temps at 50° or above.

4/23 - East central Iowa: Here’s a video of us raking and baling silage. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

4/23 - Henry County, Ohio: Hearing lots of corn doesn’t know what to do. Some started to sprout, others just lying in the ground, and the bugs have got some. It has been almost three weeks since it was planted, and with temps in the 30s at night and close to 50 during the day, it is not helping. Lots of guys that are not done with corn will be waiting for a nice warm rain and warm weather after to finish planting corn. Lots of time to plant corn yet.

4/23 - Allen County, Ind.: Finished corn today, earliest start and finish. Started planting a late group 3 bean. We no-till everything and the ground is in excellent shape.

4/23 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: We planted 120 acres of corn 4/18 thru 4/20. We just got 0.6" of rain last night with more to come on Monday and Tuesday. Temps in the 50° range this week, hope it warms back up. Temp was 81° on 4/20. Nighttime lows for this coming week show 34° to 37°.

4/23 - East central Iowa: We started cutting hay before planting any corn. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

4/23 - O’Brien County, Iowa: We got about 2.2" of rain last week. Now waiting for it to dry up so that planting can start, for even the early guys have not started yet. But it will be off to the races once the ground is fit.

4/23 - Palo Alto County, Iowa: Getting a little frustrated with the weather around here. It’s great to get the moisture but we can’t seem to get a window more than a few hours of sunny dry weather. Looking at the forecast a couple days ago it looked like this might be our week to get a lot of corn in the ground, but now chances of rain are popping in. So much for an early start to planting.

4/23 - Champaign County, Ohio: Corn planting wrapping up before 0.25" rain Friday night. Some emergence, but went in real well and light rain welcomed. Soybean planters started to roll midweek and going in nicely. Gentle shower is perfect and should finish corn and get a big jump on beans before next rain event midweek.

4/23 - McLennan County, Texas: Corn is waist-high and growing well, wheat is turning fast and may see some cut in two weeks. No rain in forecast, have missed the last two chances -- hope a pattern is not forming. Cotton is coming up and growing well -- it sure could use a rain. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/23 - Hendricks County, Ind.: Finished planting 800 acres of corn on April 19. Corn that was planted April 4-8 is coming up nicely. Started planting beans and have about 80 acres planted before we got 0.30" of rain. It's cool here this morning, about 42°. Praise the Lord for the nice planting season so far.

4/23 - Yakima, Wash.: Planters are running all over this area. I finished planting corn Thursday. Conditions are very good. Could use a bit more soil moisture, but no complaints. Lots of snow in the mountains for irrigation. A good start to a great year!!

-- Yakima, Wash.

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4/20 - Sac County, Iowa: No more than 5%-10% of corn planted -- too cold and dry. We finally received 2.5" of rain this past week -- more than we have gotten total since end of June last year. Waiting for it to dry up and warm up.

4/20 - Moultrie County, Ill.: All done planting corn. Will start planting beans next week. 90% of corn planted in area. Some frost damage in corn planted middle of March. Most corn looks good that is up.

4/20 - Ogle County, Ill.: First plantings 4/7, corn sprouted appears OK in spite of several frosty nights. We are 70% planted and sprayed just before a 1½" rain. No one near has started yet. Leaving the low ground till last to plant because of a late frost.

4/20 - Sussex County, N.J.: We started planting corn on 4/18. Conditions are very dry, first cutting alfalfa very short, praying for rain this weekend.

4/20 - Mercer County, northwest Illinois: Well, today appeared to be the day when everyone took planters to the field in our area. We joined in and got 290 acres in by about 4:30, then decided to call it a day. Due to the early date, we decided not to get too carried away in case rain tonight turns out to be heavy. Be safe.

East central Iowa: We received 0.5"-1.5" of rain Thursday and Thursday night. Some guys did get started Wednesday. Not much planted around here, maybe 5%. Most guys have not started, but that will change when the window of opportunity allows. Cold here again this morning, and we have another chance of frost Saturday morning. I would have to say we are no longer early here, but we are not late...yet.

4/20 - El Reno, Okla.: We had a great start on corn planting, and all is up and about 4" tall. Sunshine all week is just what it needed to grow. Couldn’t ask for better planting weather!

-- El Reno, Okla.

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4/20 - Sauk County, Wis.: Alfalfa looks great. Corn planting just beginning. Wheat and oats seeding coming up nicely. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/20 - Steuben County, N.Y.: We began Wednesday planting corn. We have planted 118 of 900 acres. We have also planted 964 acres of oats.

4/20 - Bedford County, Pa.: Corn planters starting to roll, still having chilly mornings but highs in 70s and 80s. Grass and alfalfa hay setback from cold snap, barley heading out, short in plant height though most oat and new hay crop planted and emerging well, little damage from cold snap, be safe!

4/20 - Saginaw County, Mich.: In addition to the warmth, a very dry spring has contributed to our earliest corn planting. Locally probably 15% of corn is in the ground. A perfect 0.6" warm rain this past weekend has everything germinated. Our soil temps at seed depth today are still 58°, despite a 31° low this morning. No corn will be emerged yet this weekend, when we are forecast to have a three-day shot of cold, thus so far so good for our early corn. A few soybeans have even been planted here.

4/19 - Faribault County, Minn.: Planting reports all over the board here! Some farmers have hit it hard and are done with corn, and some haven't even started! I'm in the middle -- about 20% done with corn. Only time will tell what was the right thing to do. Nice to see it can still rain, though; got about 2" in the past week. Sure everyone will hit it hard when it dries up this time.

4/19 - East central Iowa: Getting planter ready with a "little" help. I have to admit that we are a little jealous of those of you who are done planting when we haven't even started. Some guys started today, and as usual I'm not ready. We are not late by any means (especially with the temps we are getting now). We may actually be making hay before planting corn (cold temps have slowed that too).

-- East central Iowa

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4/19 - Cheyenne County, Neb.: 0.5" rain over the weekend. Wheat will be starting to joint in next week. Lots of spraying and topdressing going on. Wheat looks pretty fair except for the wind damage due to the dry, windy winter. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/19 - Clay County, Ill.: Corn planted April 16, two nights at 29° after.

-- Clay County, Ill.

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4/19 - Bond County, Ill.: Our corn planting is completed. 1,000 acres of corn with 500 emerged. May have to replant some due to the 2¾" of rain we received. The corn that is emerged looks great.

4/19 - Northwest Illinois: "AgDay" continues to make the trip across I-80 for the 2012 planting tour. For the next stop, national reporter Tyne Morgan visited a farmer in northwest Illinois who finally got the green light to plant. Read more about her trip to Illinois.

4/18 - Ward County, N.D.: After a mild, dry winter, rain has started and will not let up. Rain in the forecast every day this week, with snow tomorrow. Rain has kept drills out of the field. Last year, 25% of our ground was underwater. Those potholes have not gone down. Water levels are right where they were last year. Frost and lack of sun has taken its toll on any winter wheat that was planted. Freezing temps at night have delayed chemical burndown applications. Looked like it would be an early start, but two weeks of rain has caused major delays. Washouts and flooded land are becoming a problem again. I am a durum grower and last USDA report said durum acres up 100% in ND. Who is planting all of these acres out there? They are not on my farm!! I do not plan on planting any durum at all for 2012. Acres have been replaced by beans just because of the lack of an early start to planting.

4/18 - Williams County, Ohio: Frost again this a.m. Nothing in the ground, waiting for it to warm up. Trying to get our fall work done, spraying and fertilizing, and also working ruts.

4/18 - Union County, Ohio: Started planting corn today with ground conditions being perfect. I am a little worried about it being so early, but with conditions like this it is hard to just sit and not do anything. All the bean ground sprayed, and all of the NH3 put on.

4/18 - Northeast Iowa: Rolling corn ground prior to planting at Lantzky Farms. We’re rolling in order to have a firm, smooth ground to plant into. It also pushes the small rocks that were pulled up when the field cultivator came through. Video courtesy of Lantzky Farms’ YouTube channel.

4/18 - Texas: With rains and warmer-than-average weather, cool-season grasses and small grains continued to show rapid growth, according to the reports. Producers throughout the state were taking advantage of the situation to bale as much as they could and rebuild hay supplies depleted in the 2011 drought.

In Cooke County, as in many parts of Texas, farmers took advantage of warm weather and plentiful cool-season grass growth to replenish depleted hay supplies. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Wayne Becker)

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4/18 - Louisiana: LSU AgCenter Correspondent Tobie Blanchard explains why rice acres across the country are at their lowest in over 20 years. Video courtesy of http://www.twilatv.org.

4/17 - Putnam County, Ind.: Corn 50% planted and soybeans 10%. We had nice rains over the weekend.

4/17 - Robeson Co. N.C.: Corn is all up. Some wheat was hurt by low temps last week. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/17 - Jefferson County, N.Y.: Planted 120 acres of corn today, ground conditions were perfect, and soil temp was 55 at 1.5". Spring wheat and oats planted three weeks ago are finally up. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/17 - Martin County, Ind.: Started planting soybeans yesterday, ground was near perfect. All the corn planted April 1-3 is up and looks real good. Just need the nights to start being a little warmer again.

-- Martin County, Ind.

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4/16 - Richland County, N.D.: Winter wheat is greened up and looks good, with little winterkill. Hard red spring wheat is nearly complete. Approximately 10% of corn is in the ground. Recent heavy rain, with forecast for more this week, will delay planting at least two weeks. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/16 - East central Iowa: Received 1" of rain Saturday night. Areas just to my south received 2"-3.5". I'm sure when it is fit to go, everyone will be starting. I was really surprised that a lot more guys didn't start the end of last week. Ground conditions were great, but the calendar said wait. We can still get a frost until the 10th of May.

4/16 - Lancaster County, Neb.: Rain 3" Saturday with considerable erosion even in no-till, came fast and hard at times. I would say 5%-10% of corn planted. We were very dry until this rain, nice to get the moisture but too bad it had to come so hard. Also received a little hail with the rain, but not any damage. Soil temps have gone from a high of 63 (two weeks ago) back to 51. One farmer in area I think has all his corn planted and some is up at three-leaf stage; other guys haven't started and we are about 35% done.

4/16 - Union County, Pa.: Alfalfa seedings from March 31 and April 1 are sprouted but need moisture. Alfalfa will be early but short. Weevils are starting to work. No-tilled corn into 50 degree ground on April 13. Planting conditions were superb!

4/16 - Darke County, Ohio/Randolph County, Ind.: Two-thirds done on corn. 200 acres of beans. Best soil conditions in years; hope to keep the warmer weather.

4/16 - Sampson County, N.C.: Corn planted one week ago. Seeds are swollen but have not emerged. Should be up by Monday.

4/13 - Coles County, Ill.: 27° Wednesday morning, 29° Thursday morning. It turned some trees brown. It turned some corn white on top, but it didn't seem to kill it. Unsure how it affected the corn just coming up. I hope it does not corkscrew and turn down.

4/13 - DeKalb County, Ind.: Very dry and extremely hard, most trying to work ground, not much corn planted around here, heard a couple of BIG farmers up north were planting corn, most just waiting for the weather to warm up more, hoping for rain this weekend.

4/13 - Greenwood County, Kan.: Finished planting corn Wednesday. Crop went in beautiful with plenty of moisture. We hope and pray for a better outcome than last year, when over half of our acres were ZERO YIELD.

4/13 - From Champaign to Elkhart, Ill.: Todd Gleason, an Extension agent for the University of Illinois, says that when he drove from Champaign to Elkhart yesterday he found fields in Champaign County suffering from the cold. "The five-leaf stage didn’t fare terribly well," he says. He says the two-leaf corn he found in Logan County was nipped, but he believes it should come out OK.

-- Champaign County, Ill.

Photos by Todd Gleason, University of Illinois

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4/13 - Audrain/Callaway, counties, Mo.: March 15 corn is 3-4 inches tall. The last week of March corn is all up good. Heavy rains in one localized area will require some replanting. About 60% finished with 2,500 acres of corn. Will wait to finish till after five-day rain event (very little replant available).

4/13 - DeKalb County, Mo.: We ran late last night...until we ran out of N. Got going this morning early and everyone around us rushing to get things taken care of before the rain hits tonight and tomorrow. The ground is in great shape and has plenty of moisture. It's been a week since rain and there are still wet spots on side hills from seep. Let's hope we still have that moisture in July/August.

4/13 - 2012 I-80 Planting Tour: Nebraska: A year ago, farmers in northeast Nebraska couldn't plant due to massive flooding. National reporter Tyne Morgan takes a look at how things are going this year on the first stop of AgDay's I-80 Planting Tour.

4/13 - Hardy County, W.Va.: I have planted about 1/3 of my corn crop.

4/13 - Caldwell County, Mo.: On April 11 we planted corn, ground worked really good.

-- Caldwell County, Mo.

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4/13 - Madison, Ill.: Corn: 95% planted. Soybeans: 30% planted.

4/12 - Nobles County, Minn.: BONE DRY! No real moisture since last July! Have a chance of rain in the next 2 - 3 days but only 20 - 40 % chance which in the last year is as good as nothing. We need inches of rain not just a tenth here and there. Our crops will not start in the current conditions. Something has to change soon!

4/12 - Brown County, Kan.: Corn planting started 4/8/12. Conditions are near perfect. Rain in forecast.

4/12 - East central Iowa: I am kind of surprised, I have only seen 2 planters running this week. The calendar says wait (especially with our forecast). Ground conditions are excellent, hope we can still have them next week when a lot of guy's will start. We have had 3 nights of 25-29F temps. Hay is leaning, with any luck it will not take it too hard.

-- East central Iowa

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4/12 - Vernon County, Mo.: Finished planting corn on 4/9. Corn is 75% emerged as of 4/11. Didn't finish corn planting last year until 5/25. Wheat is starting to head this week. This is about a month ahead of normal. DC beans will go in early! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/12 - Logan and Menard counties, Illinois: Bill talks about his field of no-till corn during spring planting. He shows the residue from previous years crops. The ground is very dry but Bill shows there is some moisture deep. Pheasant hatchery in the background. Video courtesy of http://farmandranchcountry.com.

4/12 - Northeast Nebraska: Very dry here...only had about an inch total rain sense last fall...lawns are already turning brown...no planting in this area yet…too dry. We’re going to switch about 10% corn to beans – $13 beans are better than $4.90 corn. We’re going to need lots of rain this summer to raise a crop

4/12 - Piatt County, Ill.: Finished planting all corn 4/7. Soil conditions were the best they have been in years. Desperately needing rain now some have stopped planting because of dryness. We planted deeper than ever have before to get to moisture. Our corn fared freeze last night pretty well and growing point is fine, another freeze warning tonight.

-- Piatt County, Ill.

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4/12 - Mercer County, Ohio: Corn planting just starting. Soil is dry. Frost warning tonight. No bean plantings.

4/12 - Allen County, Ind.: We farm around 3900 acres, of which half will be corn and half will be beans. We have been spraying and applying our fall fertilizer that didn't get done last year. Even though the weather and soil moisture seem to be favorable to planting, we are still seeing frost warnings periodically and are hesitant to plant.

4/11 - Allen County, Ind.: We farm around 3900 acres, of which half will be corn and half will be beans. We have been spraying and applying our fall fertilizer that didn't get done last year. Even though the weather and soil moisture seem to be favorable to planting, we are still seeing frost warnings periodically and are hesitant to plant.

4/11 - Red River, Texas: Wheat is good to excellent. Corn is knee high and looks good. A few beans are coming thru. Milo is being planted now. Conditions have been wet and it's been hard to get in the field. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/11 - Hamilton, Ohio: Started planting Corn 4/9 with ground conditions the best we've ever had this early. After last year it was too hard to resist not planting corn. Probably wait a week or two to start soybeans. Freeze warning for tonight so may slow emergence a little but that’s OK. Just so it doesn't freeze in three weeks or so.

4/11 - Lancaster, Pa.: It has been very dry since January, over 6 inches of precip below normal. March had only .9 of rain and only .3 in April to date. New seedings of alfalfa and oats are suffering from very windy dry days very little corn planted yet in spite of ideal soil conditions. Double crop rye for forage needs rain badly to promote growth for tonnage. Hopefully when it’s ready to cut later next week we can keep some of this weather to dry it.

4/11 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: Ground is very dry. We only had 47 inches of snow this past winter. Normal winter around 130 to 140 inches. Last winter 200 inches of snow and almost 8 inches of rain in April. This April so far .1 for rain. This after the warmest March on record for this area. We may start planting corn next week if it warms up a little more at nights.

4/9 - Ransom County, southeast North Dakota: HRSW planted in March has emerged and looks good. Soil temps have dropped from the mid 50’s two weeks ago to the low 40’s this morning. The corn planting date here is April 10th and there will be some action I’m sure. A few large producers have already been planting corn. Conditions are decent but getting dry. We have not had a rainfall event with over 1/2" of moisture since way back in June 2011. There is very little standing water especially when compared to the past 3 springs. It’s very scary. Good Luck to all. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/9 - Des Moines, Iowa: We already have Bean Leaf Beetle in the volunteer soybeans from last year. Also Black Cutworm moth. So much for a mild winter.

4/9 - East central Iowa: Someone must have rung the bell. I saw the first planter sitting in the field early Thursday morning. You know what happens next (off to the races). From what I hear, most guys are going to start next Friday (13th) or next Monday (16th), weather permitting. Our extended forecast sounds like will are going to cool off here (lows in the 30's), so that my slow guys up. There is a lot of nh3 and fertilizer going on, some sprayers are also hitting the fields. Soil moisture is excellent. If you were to drive down the highway around here ,you would see tile machines and dozers clearing fence lines and cleaning waterways running all around. As you can see in the picture, this could be the first time we will make hay in April if it keeps growing like it has been. In the video, you can enjoy the view from behind the NH3 toolbar. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

-- East central Iowa

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4/9 - Henry County, Ohio: Corn up just south of me in neighboring county that was planted during Heat Wave in March. Frost in mornings and high temps mid-forties this week. Planter will stay in the shop where it is warm. Lots of tillage work going on to make up for last fall’s disaster.

4/6 - Northern Kentucky: Video of the start of corn planting April, 6th. It is our earliest start on record we have perfect planting conditions unlike last year. It is nice to get started 36 days earlier than last year. Video courtesy of Schwenke Brothers Farms YouTube channel.
4/6 - Obion County, Tenn.: Finished planting 730 acres of corn on April 3rd. What a difference a year makes! We did not finish corn till May 12 last year.

4/6 - Benton County, Ind.: About 1/2 done with corn.

4/6 - Shelby County, Ill.: Have a neighbor who started planting corn on Monday, 3/26 and finished on Friday, 3/30. He is now going to California for a 10 day vacation.

4/6 - Warren County, Ill.: Worked some stalk ground yesterday on 4/5, wish I didn't have to so I could save soil moister, going to No-till almost all of the bean fields going into corn, I suppose it's are time for a dry year, hope not!

4/6 - Butler County, Neb.: Haven't seen any planters in the field yet. Everyone is spraying when possible to kill all the weeds that started earlier than normal because of our abnormally warm winter (or lack thereof) that we had this year. Most fields will probably have to be sprayed 3 times this year instead of just 2 to ensure everything gets taken care of.

4/6 - Union, Ore.: I was hoping to start work on what has been a very wet alfalfa field this week, but I woke up to six inches of snow instead. I've never seen snow this late around here.

-- Union, Ore.

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4/5 - Warren County, Ill.: Very little corn planted here so far! Everyone is edgy about very low moisture conditions here. No rain in the foreseeable forecast either. Could be a mess if it doesn’t rain soon!

4/5 - Cavalier County, northeast North Dakota: Soil temperatures this morning on our wheat stubble was 30 degrees. On soybean stubble it was 35 degrees. Looks like we won’t be in the field for a while and the extended forecast doesn’t look great either. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/5 - McLennan County, Texas: Corn is knee high and growing well, had a inch of rain last night. We will finish sidedressing corn when it dries up. Will start planting cotton next week, wheat looks great and is entering the dough stage. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/4 - Buffalo County, Neb.: Planters are ready to go in this area but the calendar says to wait! We are 3 weeks earlier than normal and you don't mess with Mother Nature!! We are sticking with our normal planting date of April 14. Have decided to go with an extra 100 acres of beans as they pencil out about $100 more than corn at today’s prices. (corn-$5.12--soybeans-$13.00 fall del.) A hedge will be placed in the next couple days. The weeds are sure looking good this spring with the extra warm weather! Have a great planting season!

4/4 - Pocahontas County, Iowa: No planters rolling here yet, we are very short of moisture. All the rains seem to be going east of us. Only received .30" the last couple weeks (scary). Everyone is hoping for a couple inches of rain then we will be ready to roll. Fertilizer and field work well ahead of normal. A lot of odd jobs getting done this spring.

4/4 - Union County, Ohio: 1/2 inches of rain last week, another 1/2 inch today. Every time it gets dry enough to think about spraying or starting nh3, it rains again. Hopefully this year doesn't turn out like last year’s spring.

4/4 - Billings. Mont.: Dry, dry, dry – that sums up the winter and the ground around here, barley planting went great its already up and going but sum could use a drink, all we get is wind and way above average temps, start planting beets this week than last week of April start on corn, but ground temps say could plant now but way too early for Montana, especially for what seed cost is don’t want to replant

4/3 - East central Iowa: Rains last Thursday and Saturday have put fieldwork on hold (between 0.5-1.25 inches) until Monday. I wouldn’t be surprised if just south of me they wouldn’t pull the planter out of the shed and start next Monday, if the extended forecast sounds good. My problem (as of now) is do I pull the planter or the haybine out next week to 10 days if this weather holds?

4/3 - Montgomery, Ill.: Many farmers in area planting corn over last two weeks. I am planting corn tomorrow.

4/2 - Johnson County, Ind.: Corn emerged in 7 days and can be rowed. 3-4" rain over weekend will keep everyone out until the end of the week with more forecast for mid-week. Ground saturated with ponding.

4/2 - Teton County, Mont.: Got some needed snow last week about 10 inches of wet heavy stuff. Has been very windy and dry all winter. Gonna put some spring wheat and barley in. Starting April 15th. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/2 - Henry County, Tenn.: We have 225 acres of corn up 2 inches several acres planted all around county. Soil temps 68 at morning.

4/2 - Rapides Parish, La.: Corn anywhere from 3-4 leaf to being planted today – April Fool’s Day. Most corn planted in last week, as it’s been too wet. Wheat starting to turn. Some will be cut by end of April. Grain sorghum planting just getting started. Be safe and Good Luck! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/2 - Sherurne County, Minn.: What an early spring! Fieldwork started March 28 and planting red potatoes march 29, with 60 acres in before April 1st. This has been the earliest start in in our farm records back to 1964, and only 1 day earlier than 1973 and 2000.

4/2 - Polk County, Ore.: We have had the wettest March on record, and the fields are very wet. Wheat is growing slow, with growers having a hard time getting fertilizer on.

4/2 - Guthrie County, Iowa: Next to no corn planted across southwest Iowa as of March 31st. A few small fields and test strips planted in mid-March that emerged in as little as 10 to 12 days and at the V1 stage of development. Rainfall amounts in last 1/2 of the month total anywhere from 1" up to 4". Close to all fertilizer has been applied. Majority of producers will begin the week of April 9th weather pending. Soil moisture is in very adequate condition to begin the season.

4/2 - Faribault, Minn.: Planted 20 acres march 29th to get the new planter set. Went very well excellent soil conditions, first time planted corn in March -- SCARRY!

Comments (0)

March Crop Comments

Apr 11, 2012

Use this link to send us your comments (or e-mail CropComments@agweb.com) about the crops in your local area. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.

See AgWeb's interactive Crop Comments!

Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:

4/11 - Allen County, Ind.: We farm around 3900 acres, of which half will be corn and half will be beans. We have been spraying and applying our fall fertilizer that didn't get done last year. Even though the weather and soil moisture seem to be favorable to planting, we are still seeing frost warnings periodically and are hesitant to plant.
4/11 - Red River, Texas: Wheat is good to excellent. Corn is knee high and looks good. A few beans are coming thru. Milo is being planted now. Conditions have been wet and it's been hard to get in the field. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/11 - Hamilton, Ohio: Started planting Corn 4/9 with ground conditions the best we've ever had this early. After last year it was too hard to resist not planting corn. Probably wait a week or two to start soybeans. Freeze warning for tonight so may slow emergence a little but that’s OK. Just so it doesn't freeze in three weeks or so.

4/11 - Lancaster, Pa.: It has been very dry since January, over 6 inches of precip below normal. March had only .9 of rain and only .3 in April to date. New seedings of alfalfa and oats are suffering from very windy dry days very little corn planted yet in spite of ideal soil conditions. Double crop rye for forage needs rain badly to promote growth for tonnage. Hopefully when it’s ready to cut later next week we can keep some of this weather to dry it.
4/11 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: Ground is very dry. We only had 47 inches of snow this past winter. Normal winter around 130 to 140 inches. Last winter 200 inches of snow and almost 8 inches of rain in April. This April so far .1 for rain. This after the warmest March on record for this area. We may start planting corn next week if it warms up a little more at nights.

4/9 - Ransom County, southeast North Dakota: HRSW planted in March has emerged and looks good. Soil temps have dropped from the mid 50’s two weeks ago to the low 40’s this morning. The corn planting date here is April 10th and there will be some action I’m sure. A few large producers have already been planting corn. Conditions are decent but getting dry. We have not had a rainfall event with over 1/2" of moisture since way back in June 2011. There is very little standing water especially when compared to the past 3 springs. It’s very scary. Good Luck to all. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
4/9 - Des Moines, Iowa: We already have Bean Leaf Beetle in the volunteer soybeans from last year. Also Black Cutworm moth. So much for a mild winter.

4/9 - East central Iowa: Someone must have rung the bell. I saw the first planter sitting in the field early Thursday morning. You know what happens next (off to the races). From what I hear, most guys are going to start next Friday (13th) or next Monday (16th), weather permitting. Our extended forecast sounds like will are going to cool off here (lows in the 30's), so that my slow guys up. There is a lot of nh3 and fertilizer going on, some sprayers are also hitting the fields. Soil moisture is excellent. If you were to drive down the highway around here ,you would see tile machines and dozers clearing fence lines and cleaning waterways running all around. As you can see in the picture, this could be the first time we will make hay in April if it keeps growing like it has been. In the video, you can enjoy the view from behind the NH3 toolbar. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

-- East central Iowa

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

4/9 - Henry County, Ohio: Corn up just south of me in neighboring county that was planted during Heat Wave in March. Frost in mornings and high temps mid-forties this week. Planter will stay in the shop where it is warm. Lots of tillage work going on to make up for last fall’s disaster.

4/6 - Northern Kentucky: Video of the start of corn planting April, 6th. It is our earliest start on record we have perfect planting conditions unlike last year. It is nice to get started 36 days earlier than last year. Video courtesy of Schwenke Brothers Farms YouTube channel.
4/6 - Obion County, Tenn.: Finished planting 730 acres of corn on April 3rd. What a difference a year makes! We did not finish corn till May 12 last year.
4/6 - Benton County, Ind.: About 1/2 done with corn.
4/6 - Shelby County, Ill.: Have a neighbor who started planting corn on Monday, 3/26 and finished on Friday, 3/30. He is now going to California for a 10 day vacation.
4/6 - Warren County, Ill.: Worked some stalk ground yesterday on 4/5, wish I didn't have to so I could save soil moister, going to No-till almost all of the bean fields going into corn, I suppose it's are time for a dry year, hope not!

4/6 - Butler County, Neb.: Haven't seen any planters in the field yet. Everyone is spraying when possible to kill all the weeds that started earlier than normal because of our abnormally warm winter (or lack thereof) that we had this year. Most fields will probably have to be sprayed 3 times this year instead of just 2 to ensure everything gets taken care of.

4/6 - Union, Ore.: I was hoping to start work on what has been a very wet alfalfa field this week, but I woke up to six inches of snow instead. I've never seen snow this late around here.

-- Union, Ore.

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

4/5 - Warren County, Ill.: Very little corn planted here so far! Everyone is edgy about very low moisture conditions here. No rain in the foreseeable forecast either. Could be a mess if it doesn’t rain soon!
4/5 - Cavalier County, northeast North Dakota: Soil temperatures this morning on our wheat stubble was 30 degrees. On soybean stubble it was 35 degrees. Looks like we won’t be in the field for a while and the extended forecast doesn’t look great either. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
4/5 - McLennan County, Texas: Corn is knee high and growing well, had a inch of rain last night. We will finish sidedressing corn when it dries up. Will start planting cotton next week, wheat looks great and is entering the dough stage. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

4/4 - Buffalo County, Neb.: Planters are ready to go in this area but the calendar says to wait! We are 3 weeks earlier than normal and you don't mess with Mother Nature!! We are sticking with our normal planting date of April 14. Have decided to go with an extra 100 acres of beans as they pencil out about $100 more than corn at today’s prices. (corn-$5.12--soybeans-$13.00 fall del.) A hedge will be placed in the next couple days. The weeds are sure looking good this spring with the extra warm weather! Have a great planting season!

4/4 - Pocahontas County, Iowa: No planters rolling here yet, we are very short of moisture. All the rains seem to be going east of us. Only received .30" the last couple weeks (scary). Everyone is hoping for a couple inches of rain then we will be ready to roll. Fertilizer and field work well ahead of normal. A lot of odd jobs getting done this spring.

4/4 - Union County, Ohio: 1/2 inches of rain last week, another 1/2 inch today. Every time it gets dry enough to think about spraying or starting nh3, it rains again. Hopefully this year doesn't turn out like last year’s spring.
4/4 - Billings. Mont.: Dry, dry, dry – that sums up the winter and the ground around here, barley planting went great its already up and going but sum could use a drink, all we get is wind and way above average temps, start planting beets this week than last week of April start on corn, but ground temps say could plant now but way too early for Montana, especially for what seed cost is don’t want to replant

4/3 - East central Iowa: Rains last Thursday and Saturday have put fieldwork on hold (between 0.5-1.25 inches) until Monday. I wouldn’t be surprised if just south of me they wouldn’t pull the planter out of the shed and start next Monday, if the extended forecast sounds good. My problem (as of now) is do I pull the planter or the haybine out next week to 10 days if this weather holds?
4/3 - Montgomery, Ill.: Many farmers in area planting corn over last two weeks. I am planting corn tomorrow.

4/2 - Johnson County, Ind.: Corn emerged in 7 days and can be rowed. 3-4" rain over weekend will keep everyone out until the end of the week with more forecast for mid-week. Ground saturated with ponding.
4/2 - Teton County, Mont.: Got some needed snow last week about 10 inches of wet heavy stuff. Has been very windy and dry all winter. Gonna put some spring wheat and barley in. Starting April 15th. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
4/2 - Henry County, Tenn.: We have 225 acres of corn up 2 inches several acres planted all around county. Soil temps 68 at morning.
4/2 - Rapides Parish, La.: Corn anywhere from 3-4 leaf to being planted today – April Fool’s Day. Most corn planted in last week, as it’s been too wet. Wheat starting to turn. Some will be cut by end of April. Grain sorghum planting just getting started. Be safe and Good Luck! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
4/2 - Sherurne County, Minn.: What an early spring! Fieldwork started March 28 and planting red potatoes march 29, with 60 acres in before April 1st. This has been the earliest start in in our farm records back to 1964, and only 1 day earlier than 1973 and 2000.

4/2 - Polk County, Ore.: We have had the wettest March on record, and the fields are very wet. Wheat is growing slow, with growers having a hard time getting fertilizer on.

4/2 - Guthrie County, Iowa: Next to no corn planted across southwest Iowa as of March 31st. A few small fields and test strips planted in mid-March that emerged in as little as 10 to 12 days and at the V1 stage of development. Rainfall amounts in last 1/2 of the month total anywhere from 1" up to 4". Close to all fertilizer has been applied. Majority of producers will begin the week of April 9th weather pending. Soil moisture is in very adequate condition to begin the season.
4/2 - Faribault, Minn.: Planted 20 acres march 29th to get the new planter set. Went very well excellent soil conditions, first time planted corn in March -- SCARRY!

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February Crop Comments

Feb 29, 2012

Use this link to send us your comments (or e-mail CropComments@agweb.com) about the crops in your local area. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.

See AgWeb's brand-new, interactive Crop Comments!

Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:

2/29 - Hancock County, Ind.: Mid 60's today, neighbors have been putting on anhydrous and chiseling and disking ground. The ground is working up pretty well.

2/29 - Winnebago County, Iowa: We have received some nice rain, close to an inch, but the ground is frozen enough that most of it is ponding in the low ground and running into the creeks. We are very dry underneath the frost. We have no snow! Spring should come early, unless Mother Nature has other plans.

2/29 - Northampton, Pa.: The neighbor was disking corn stalks last week.

2/27 - Glacier County, northern Montana: It is 8° this morning, a long way from thawing out and seeding. I just delivered some spring wheat last week and got absolutely killed by discounts. Mostly nickel and dime, but protein was a minus 25 cents per 1/4%, down from 14%. With all of the discounts at the elevators including a sucky basis and rising costs of inputs, spring wheat doesn't look like a favorable option around here. Lentils, canola, peas, malt barley and feed barley all require less input costs and fewer discounts, plus a shorter growing season. Besides, all I hear about is the glut of wheat on the market, so why add more? The better we do at adding acres and fertilizer, the more corn, the lower the price, the more fertilizer, etc., used, and the higher their price. How intelligent are we? (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/27 - Urbana, Ill.: Much that I read from grain analysts and U.S. government releases portray lower grain prices. Visions of a perfect, high-yielding crop usually decline as Mother Nature becomes active. I choose not to be fooled again after growing 71 crops of corn and soybeans.

2/27 - Dooly County, Ga.: This year is starting out like 2011. It has been mild and very, very dry. Total rainfall in Dooly County for 2012 was 3.52" (2" of that came in a two-hour period) compared to 9.87" in 2011. Winter wheat is doing well but because of the warm winter it is on average 2-3 weeks ahead of where it should be. It is in real danger of freeze damage. Corn planting will start in 2-3 weeks, but by the soil temp we could have started in January. In Georgia we are lucky and have a statewide micro-climate weather system; you may take a look at http://www.georgiaweather.net. I grow cotton, corn, peanuts, wheat and beans. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/24 - Perry County, Ill.: Corn prices up (looks like a record) $4.00. Here we come. LOL.

2/24 - Franklin County, Tenn.: It has been a mild winter with no snow. We have had lots of rain. Winter wheat looks good. High diesel prices together with already high seeds, nitrates and chemicals make spring plantings expensive. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/24 - Darke County, Ohio: It’s too early to plant.

2/24 - Poweshiek County, Iowa/Lamar County, Texas: Live and farm in central Iowa. Will start planting in Iowa in a couple months. Rented a farm near Paris, Texas. Planters ready to roll, just waiting for it to dry out. Hopefully we will be planting by Feb. 26.

2/24 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: Farmers in the Finger Lakes area are mainly dairy and cash crop farmers, with some vegetables, tree fruit and grapes. Major crops are corn, alfalfa, soybeans and wheat. We have had an unusually warm winter with barely any snow, but there has been rain and most fields are wet. We were never able to plant winter wheat last fall because of the heavy rain. We hope to have corn, soybeans and pumpkins planted by late April to mid-May.

2/24 - Texas: Most of the state received rain the third week of February, further greening up pastures and winter wheat, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service. In some cases, the rains stimulated the growth of winter grasses and small grains to the extent that it relieved the pressure on extremely limited hay supplies. However, in most areas, livestock producers still had to provide supplemental feed and hay to cattle. In many areas, the hay they fed continued to come in from out of state.

Rains greened up pastures during February, such as this one in East Texas. However, in many areas the green-up was mainly cosmetic and producers were still buying hay from out of the area as the spring calving season continued, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/23 - Power County, Idaho: Our fall wheat looks very good but we have concerns over the lack of moisture through the winter. Spring crop will be planted with very little submoisture. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/23 - Eastern Kansas: We have had a unusually mild winter. Less than 3" of snow. We have gotten some rain since the end of January. We currently have good topsoil moisture, we could still use some soaking rains to fully recharge the subsoil. I hope we don't have the heat we had last summer again!

2/23 - McLennan County, Texas: Wet now, but wind is blowing and 80°. Might be able to start planting corn Monday.

2/22 - Murray County, Minn.: Our last measurable rain was Aug. 12. Since then we have received a few dustings of snow, which has done little to recharge our soils. Producers are wondering, "What’s the point?" of planting anything with such dire conditions. As of now, our yield forecast for the 2012 crops is zero! Nevertheless we will plant it in dust and hope for the best!

2/21 - Livingston/LaSalle counties, Ill.: Like most of the country, this winter has been warmer than normal, with minimal snow cover. Have had more rain than snow. Soil moisture is adequate! Applied N to the wheat on Feb 13. Had a couple cool mornings. There were some wet spots, but were able to get over it without breaking through! In this area, the wheat looks better than it has in the recent five years or so. Have been reports of some wheat heaving with the fluctuations in temperature, but the majority looks very good! In the past two weeks, I've had the opportunity to travel approximately 500 miles radius, and I wouldn't trade moisture/crop conditions with anybody else! I've seen too much moisture to the south, maybe a little too dry to the west, lack of wheat plantings to the east, and lack of moisture to the north. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/21 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: We’ve had 36" of snow so far this winter. We have none on ground now and mid 40s this week. Should be around 120" by now, normal year around 140". Last year this time, 160" and finished winter at 200".

2/21 - Rapides Parish, La.: Wheat had one shot of fertilizer and with all the rain, still has a yellow tint to it. Received 16+ inches of rain in February. Little or no burndown on corn land done due to very wet conditions. Airplanes will be flying this week for sure. Good luck and be safe! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/21 - East central Iowa: The little snow we have had so far this winter is gone (again). It has allowed everyone to move a lot of corn to town. Saturday and Sunday temps were in the 40°-50°F range. I don't think we are not short of moisture. We had fall rains that delayed our harvest when everyone else missed them. There may be a little more corn on corn, but with our soil, the poorer ground seems to do better with corn/soybean rotation (plus with no-till we don't dig up the rocks). And with the price of hay, there could be a little more seeded down.

-- East central Iowa

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/21 - Falls and Milam counties, Texas: Since Nov. 22, 2011, we have received 20" of rain. We should be planting corn right now, but it will be 10 days at least before we can get in the fields. We went from the worst drought in recent times to overabundant moisture in three months. If it dries up, at least we have plenty underground moisture for our crops.

2/21 - Alliance, Neb.: Wheat looked good for the most part going into winter. We have had very little moisture since Jan 1. No snow cover and lots of temp fluctuations and a few windy days. I pray we get some spring moisture! (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/17 - Rock Island, Ill.: Clearing hedge rows, tree root mass dirt is like the middle of August, the way the soil crumbles away so easy. We need spring rains to make up for the complete lack of snow fall.

2/17 - Central Texas: After our worst drought in history in 2011, we've received 19" rain since Nov 8. Flash flood watch tonight and Saturday. Corn planting starts third week in February, not likely this year. Wheat looks excellent. Cotton in April. Hopes are high. Severe flooding 10 days ago washing topsoil badly as nothing here to hold it due to drought. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

-- Central Texas

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/17 - Clay County, Ark.: Very, very, wet. Stock ponds are full to overflowing. Must say though, the rain is very much needed after last year’s drought. A timely dryout in March would be beneficial to wheat and corn ground prep. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/17 - McLeod County, Minn.: VERY DRY HERE!! I have not plowed or shoveled any snow yet this winter. Last winter we had around 100" of snow. Lots of worried farmers here. The little snow that we have had has melted and evaporated. I would guess that corn acres around here are going to be normal or a little higher. THERE IS NO SEED LEFT. I have been in contact with several dealers who are sold out of everything good and they are worried they may not get what they sold from winter production. You can still get some of the less impressive varieties, but not much. All of the drought-tolerant corn is long gone. As the farmer from New Ulm mentions, there are soil boulders everywhere in the southern half of Minnesota. We haven’t had any precipitation to soak into them and break them up in our area. Lots of guys increasing crop insurance. Fertilizer prices are holding steady and basis is still pretty good. I anticipate portions of Minnesota will run out of corn before the new crop gets harvested.

2/17 - Solano County, Calif.: We grow processing tomatoes, alfalfa, sunflowers, vine seed, wheat and corn. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/16 - Sevier County, Tenn.: I’m a commercial grass hay and alfalfa grower. Much above-normal rainfall, very wet since late fall. Cannot get on ground to spray, fertilize or plant. Very deep soil moisture.

2/16 - Northeast North Dakota: Very mild winter, very, very little snow. We went into freeze-up in a drier trend but there is plenty of moisture to get the crop started. All traditionally grown crops remain an option at this time. I believe the winter wheat will be OK. We hope to get an early start this year, barring any 4" spring downpour. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/15 - Southern Manitoba, Canada: Soil conditions here are the same as everywhere else. Dry, dry. No significant precipitation since Sept. 15. Virtually no snow all winter and record-breaking temps almost every week. Winter wheat is a big question mark. This condition exists throughout western Canada. If this continues, there will be no spring runoff and germinating anything will be a big challenge. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/15 - New Ulm, Minn.: With a bit of snow last night, brings our total to about 2" of liquid precipitation since Dec 1. I couldn't bring myself to create soil "boulders" in my fields last fall -- some were disked, some no tillage. Since Dec. 1, the inch-wide cracks in the no-till have closed.

2/15 - Sevier County, Ark.: Hay, timber, cattle, broilers in our area. We're having a lot more rain this winter than in the last couple of years. (Thank the Lord!)
2/15 - East central Iowa: Winter weather hasn’t been too bad here compared to the previous two winters. Roads overall have been real good to get some corn moved to town. I have heard of a few problems with corn going out of condition (both covered piles and bins). Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

2/15 - Texas: Mother Nature sent many Texas farmers an early Valentine’s Day card in the form of rain the last week. According to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service, there were notable exceptions, but many parts of the state received moisture, further improving pastures and rangeland and raising soil moisture levels for spring planting.

Even if rainfall patterns hold, fertilizer and other input costs will be big factors controlling the recovery of drought-damaged pastures and stocking rates, say Texas Agrilife Extension Service experts. (Texas Agrilife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/15 - Teton County, Mont.: Crops are winter wheat and spring wheat and barley, both feed and malt. Some canola, camelina, lentils. We’ve had one rain and one snowstorm since June. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/14 - Northern Nebraska: We have almost zero soil moisture. After the crops dried up in early September, we have had a total of 2" of moisture, most of which came in October. Enough snow to eliminate the dust. Unless we get enough rain in the spring to fill the soil profile, I'll cut my corn population back to 15k and drop my fertilizer back to a 100 bu. yield goal.

2/14 - Chippewa County, Iowa: Dry, dry, dry! We’ve had 17" less snow than normal and not much rain from July on. We need spring rains.

2/14 - Madera, Calif.: We’ll grow grapes this year.

2/14 - Elkhart County, Ind.: We will probably try out a micronutrient/biological additive this year if it is expected to be a dry year. However, research states that 95% of them don't work. It’s important to go with a proven one.

2/14 - Far western Minnesota: Our crop mix will stay the same. Why change it? No seed (corn, soybeans or wheat) will sprout in our dry lumpy topsoil and if it does it will soon hit dry subsoil. Sloughs are dry all along the Hwy 212 corridor. Water tables are constantly dropping. And now they're predicting dry conditions thru the end of April for us. It's a slow motion disaster in progress. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/13 - Union County, N.C.: This was my first time in over 40 years of farming I spread wheat with a GPS guided spreader truck and incorporated the seed with a Great Plains Turbo-Till at 10 mph. This was done on land that had been under continuous 100% no-till for 25 years, and I can say without doubt it is the worst looking wheat I've ever grown up to this point. We've had too much rainfall, and it has caused the minimum tilled soil to melt into a close particle form which in return kept the roots from breathing and taking up nutrients, whereas if the wheat was drilled into no-till ground, it would have allowed the excess moisture to move away from the roots faster. The only benefit from planting wheat in this method is the tremendous number of acres you can cover in a day; the downfall side is I can see from my tiller count the yield will be lowered in comparison to being drilled in a no-till application. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/13 - Bee County, Texas: 1.5" of rain last week. We will start planting corn next week. It looks like soil conditions will be good for planting for the next several weeks.

2/10 - Cottonwood County, Minn.: We’ll plant corn and soybeans. Soil is bone-dry.

2/9 - East central Iowa: We’re getting ready for spring (just kidding)! The following pictures are from a farm and home show that I had to work at. A gentleman makes toys out of wood that look almost real. Snow is pretty much gone around here and it is supposed to get into the single digits, which will hopefully freeze the ground hard to help with fall compaction issues and kill any pest that could potentially suffer from the cold.

-- East central Iowa

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/9 - Crawford County, Wis.: There’s still some snow on the ground and not much subsoil moisture. We will not change rotation for corn beans.

2/9 - Gove County, Kan.: This is wheat country. Then seconds are corn and milo. Dryland farming is nearly the same year in, year out. We would like to be able to plant dryland beans if we could find them. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

2/9 - Lac qui Parle County, Minn.: Drier than a popcorn fart here in western Minnesota. Less than 3" of liquid precipitation since Aug 1. Perhaps this is the year to plant that $29.00 a bag (60-lb. bag) of open pollinated conventional corn and see if it rains enough this summer to raise a crop in '13. John Faust would be proud.

2/9 - York County, Pa.: Finished corn and bean harvest about one week before Christmas. Corn planted between May 10 and June 1 had the best yield again. That makes four of the last five years that this has happened. This just happens to be when the fields finally got fit to plant. Normal planting time for this area is around April 20. Early planted crops were mudded in and patience has paid off again. Corn basis is 0.80 to 0.100 over the March right now and the corn supply will be very tight before new crop comes in this fall. We had 77" of rain this past year; normal is 36". Rain came early and late this past season, which made it another challenging year. Wheat and barley will have to be added to feed rations to stretch the corn supply. Corn supplies were very tight this past year, with no carryover before we started harvest. Corn supply might be out there, according to USDA, but not in the real world. Corn basis are more than double of what they normally are for this area. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU, USDA?

2/9 - Henry County, Ohio: Still some standing corn and beans in northwest Ohio. Lots of tillage work will need to be done this spring before planting can start.

2/9 - Texas: Recent rains greatly improved soil-moisture levels in many parts of the state, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service county agents. However, many parts of the state remained critically dry, including the Panhandle, South Plains, Far West Texas and parts of the Rolling Plains and Coastal Bend areas, according to the reports. The more fortunate areas experienced mild weather and timely rains -– as much as 6" in some areas, with 1" to 2" more common. The warm weather spurred the growth of winter wheat and winter pastures. It also raised farmers’ optimism in those areas for summer grazing and the planting of spring row crops. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)

Peach trees in East Texas are a couple of weeks away from opening buds, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticulturists. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

2/6 - Summit County, Ohio: I will finish beans on 2/4. Are you kidding me? It has been one heck of a long season and these beans don't look too good. The field has been completely waterlogged for the last few months, and we have had about 10 days with no rain or snow. I am going to give it heck and hope for the best.

2/6 - Texas: Ironically, fears of another drought may result in fewer irrigated and more dryland cotton acres in the Texas High Plains this year, says a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert. Typically, the Texas High Plains cotton acres are nearly evenly split between dryland and irrigated, says Mark Kelley, an AgriLife Extension cotton specialist in Lubbock. This adds up to about 2 million dryland cotton acres planted, with the same number of irrigated acres.

With the soil moisture profile very dry, Texas High Plains cotton producers are rethinking planting strategies, says a Texas AgriLife Extension Service cotton specialist. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Mark Kelley)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

Comments (0)

January Crop Comments

Jan 27, 2012

Use this link to send us your comments (or e-mail CropComments@agweb.com) about the crops in your local area. Be sure to send us your photos and videos! Comments will be edited for brevity and clarity. (Please keep your comments crop-related.

See AgWeb's brand-new, interactive Crop Comments!

Here's a sampling of what some folks are saying:

1/27 - Allen County, Kan.: We have had a total of 25 inches of snow this winter. Should be way above 100 inches by now. What we had is all gone now and back to green grass again. Last night we had about 2 inches of rain, we might end up being thankful for that if this weather pattern stays this way into spring.

1/27 - Allen County, Kan.: Lots of early anhydrous application going on right now. Some of us have taken advantage of completing chisel work in some fields. The wheat is beginning to show signs of damage as it is turning yellow. Lack of moisture and too much warm temps - the crop doesn't know what to do right now. Have not had any significant moisture since November which helped to fill the ponds back. There was a steady action of ponds being dug out in the area as a major majority had gone dry due to the extensive heat last summer. Have a good one. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
1/27 - Northern Kentucky: Here is a video of fall tillage from 2011 with our John Deere 8235R, Great Plains Turbo-Till, Brillion zone commander and M&W Earthmaster. The tractor is steered on John Deere SF-1 auto-trac. Video courtesy of schwenkebrothers’ YouTube channel.

1/26 - Wood County, Ohio: Finally finished harvest on Jan. 20. Corn was planted June 10 and yielded 195 bu/ac dry corn, proving once again it’s not the date you plant. It’s what the weather and rainfall is during the growing season.
1/26 - Texas: Thanks to rains, more of Texas transitioned from exceptional to extreme drought, or from severe to moderate, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. But weekly on-the-ground reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service agents still paint a mixed picture of the general agricultural situation. In Deaf Smith County, the Panhandle, Rick Auckerman, AgriLife Extension agent, reported that producers are revisiting planting grain sorghum instead of corn. Cotton plans are mixed, but generally plantings are expected to be up this year, but a lot will depend upon whether the area gets spring rains before planting. "Where’s the rain?" asked Kevin Brendle, AgriLife Extension agent Dickens County, east of Lubbock. "We had drier, windy and warmer conditions most of the week. Cotton land is being prepared and readied for spring planting."

1/19 - McLeod County, Minn.: This is by far and away the craziest weather I have ever seen. Last spring was so wet we didn’t get planted until the first part of June. Torrential rains continued into the first part of August. Then the heat took over and cooked the ground for the rest of the year. After planting we were certain we would combine thirty percent corn, but we ran it straight into the bin and got done in record time with a HOT October. We ripped the ground as deep as we could, but Mother Nature won. All the soil in Southern MN is so compacted and clodded up. I don’t see any way we raise a good crop next year. We have had about three inches of snow. This time last year we had over 50" already. We have gone from one extreme to another and it is looking like a real disaster.

I averaged 24bu beans for my farm and I don’t know anybody that really broke 30 on average. Corn for the most part was 120-140. There are no corn piles from here all the way to SW MN. Don’t really know where it all is, but there is none out there.
1/19 - Central Missouri: I was digging a Fallen big oak tree stump near a branch, good black soil 4.5 feet deep DUST!!! In the bottom of the hole, Trend Line Corn 2012?? Wheat is suffering with no snow cover and one day 60 the next 15 with 30mph wind. God Help Us.

1/19 - Texas: Winter rain accumulations varied across the state, from as much as 5 inches in some East Texas counties to 1 inch to 3 inches in Central and North Texas, according to reports from Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.Parts of the Rolling Plains also got rain, as much as 1.5 inches, while some areas in West Central Texas got more than 1 inch, according to reports by AgriLife Extension county agents. The rest of the state remained mostly dry, receiving only light rains if any. Where there was rain, winter forages and wheat benefited, and stock tanks and ponds were replenished to varying degrees.

Rains greened up winter pastures in many parts of the state, such as in this Rusk County field, and encouraged producers to apply fertilizer. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Robert Burns)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

1/19 - O’brien County, northwest Iowa: I've had maybe 5 tenths of moisture the last 6 1/2 months. Did a little tiling this fall through a mud hole- bone dry. No subsoil moisture to go on.
1/19 - Western Iowa: Information from Joel DeJong, field agronomist, ISU Extension and Wayne Roush, farm superintendent, ISU Research and Demonstration Farms: Fall anhydrous applications were not hampered by too much water, instead some producers chose not to apply anhydrous because soil conditions were too dry and anhydrous was not sealing well in the soil in some fields.

"Fall subsoil moisture samples taken at the Western Research and Demonstration Farm for Iowa State University showed there was no water left in the 5 foot soil profile. Crops were sustained in 2011 by the water stored in the soil, but all reserves were used. Significant recharge is needed by the time corn and soybeans are planted in 2012. (ISU Western R & D Farm is located in Monona County, Iowa near the town of Castana.)

1/12 - Greene, Iowa: We’re very dry.
1/12 - Gray County, Kan.: Our soil moisture profile needs about 8 inches of rain. Ten inches would not be unwelcome.
1/12 - Livingston County, Ill.: I planted a few acres of wheat for 2012. This means I will have about a 50% corn and 50% beans with the rest of my acres. We've had good rains and the soil profile is about full.
1/12 - Gray County, Kan.: We’ve had 2 inches of moisture since May! Our subsoil moisture is zero!
1/12 - Murray County, Minn.: An excavator buried a hog pit last week. Dug a hole eighteen feet deep with dry clay in the bottom of the hole. Not much moisture for the corn roots to seek out this summer!
1/12 - Polk County, Minn.: The moisture levels are as low as I have ever seen them-my alfalfa fields might be gone with little or no snow cover.
1/12 - Redwood County, Minn.: Stopped raining here July 19. We received about 1.5 inches since and are about 8 inches behind normal. It’s dry down 6 feet. Southern half of Minnesota is in severe drought.
1/12 - Keota, Iowa: We have no moisture at this time.
1/12 - Logan County, Ark.: Here in west-central Arkansas we are wet at this time. We came out of a severe drought in 2011-- it started raining in October and has stayed wet since. We’ve had 22 to 26 inches since that time wheat is showing its effect starting to turn yellow. In low spots it is dying. We need a few sunny days to correct it. It will probably go the other way when it does.
1/12 - Shelby County, Ill.: Weather is unusually mild so far! Some tiles started running in late DEC! As far as crops to plant in 2012. I retired as of harvest 2011!!

1/11 - Clark County, Wis.: We’ve had very warm January and December. No snow and our precipitation has been very low -- less than a 1 inch. Wheat looks very poor. I don’t think it will make it. Our hay crop is also not looking good.
1/11 - Cayuga County, N.Y.: Grass is still green. Close to 100 inches of snow this time last winter. Normal season for us about 140 inches.
1/11 - East central Iowa: Trying to haul corn before snow hits. Sounds like we may actually get 1-4 inches Wednesday – Thursday. It has been extremely nice without snow (easy to get around, not hauling snow out of cattle yards, no tractor or skid loader chains). We reached 50-55 F and sunny Tuesday here, but it is supposed to cool off. Bad thing is that if the snow comes first, the ground will not freeze hard. Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

1/11 - Texas: Many areas received rain, but the general consensus from weekly reports by Texas AgriLife Extension Service county agents was that more is needed to keep wheat and winter pastures going. The U.S. Drought Monitor backs up these observations. As of Jan. 3, the monitor still showed nearly 70 percent of the state as being under severe to extreme drought. However, this is an improvement over the situation at the beginning of October when 97 percent of the state was under severe to extreme drought.

In some parts of the state, December and January rains meant winter pastures that were planted on time could already be grazed, but most producers were still having to feed hay. (Texas AgriLife Research photo by Dr. Monte Rouquette)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

1/11 - Henry County, Ohio: Still some corn in field. Hoping cold weather arrives end of the week before the snow does. So I can finish. Very little fall tillage done this fall. Unless you call the ruts made tillage. We will need a good spring to get fields in shape for planting.

1/9 - Caldwell County, Mo.: What a great winter we are having. Neighbors are putting on NH3 -- not too many winters could you do this!
1/9 - Summit County, Ohio: There is still corn out in the fields, me included, although it is only about 15 or so acres. It has been so wet and the lack of cold has kept the remaining corn in the fields. There is not a whole lot out, but still way more than I have ever seen. I have seen very little fall tillage, if any, too. I hope to try and get the rest of the corn in this week if the damn rain holds off long enough to dry out a bit. I can't believe this season will not end.
1/9 - Wharton, Texas: Extremely dry here in south Texas, with zero subsoil moisture. We finally got 2" of rain in December, the first since rain since May. Might not have any dryland corn unless we can get 6"-10" of rain before planting. That is getting less likely every day, since we start planting corn around Feb. 20.
1/9 - Chickasaw County, Iowa: This is our annual movie for 2011. We’re loving the mild weather. We are a 1,400-acre row crop operation in northeast Iowa. We also produce 10,000 head of hogs annually. Follow us at www.lantzkyfarms.com.

1/6 - DeKalb County, Ala.: Wheat looks good. (Read more wheat-related comments at AgWeb's www.VirtualWheatTour.com)
1/6 - Logan County, Ill.: We will grow 275 acres soybeans and 73 acres corn.
1/6 - Nobles County, Minn.: DRY! We have not had significant moisture since JULY! We are extremely dry! Our ground is hard as cement. Everyone around here is giddy because we are not walking around in waist high snow like we usually are this time of year. But I am concerned that there is no sign of change in the weather pattern soooo, no chance of rain/snow anytime soon. We had just better hope we have a wet March/April or we are in big trouble!

1/5 - East central Iowa: I was loading corn out of shed. No snow yet (can you tell I'm excited). Video courtesy of scotthinch’s YouTube channel.

1/5 - Texas: A Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist advised Texas cotton producers to consider selling sooner rather than later – assuming they have a decent offer. "The market is saying not to wait for higher prices," said Dr. John Robinson, AgriLife Extension cotton economist. "I would say that if somebody has a fairly decent contract, I would be looking to sell on any rally." Most Texas cotton has been harvested, and much is sitting in warehouses waiting to be sold, Robinson said.

"If you’ve got cotton now, I sure wouldn’t hold it a long period of time," said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service cotton marketing expert. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Whit Weems)

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

1/3 - Caldwell County, Mo.: We traded planters the last day of the year, got a 6-row. I was going to have to hire a neighbor to plant my corn, so with the savings from hiring work done and the tax break, it will soon pay for itself!

1/3 - East central Iowa: Picture is from Dec. 2, when I was squeezing in the last load of corn. No snow yet (excellent!). Us not having snow is saving everyone a lot of money (no labor, wear and tear, fuel, hauling manure -- not snow, etc.) It is supposed to get down to 8°F Monday night and then warm up again. Hopefully the ground freezes hard enough to alleviate some compaction.

-- East central Iowa

(Have any photos of the crops on your farm? E-mail (CropComments@agweb.com) them to AgWeb and have them posted on Crop Comments! Be sure to include a caption.)

1/3 - Sparta, Mich.: Check out this harvest video from 2011. Video courtesy of agsalesman’s YouTube Channel.

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