Crop Progress Update: South Continues To Surge, Slowdown Hits Iowa

This week’s USDA Crop Progress report shows corn planting overall currently three percentage points (36% planted) behind the five year average, while soybean planting is four points ahead (25%) of historic pace. Emerged corn currently sits at 12% overall, three points ahead of the five year average. Soybean emergence sits at five percentage points (9%) ahead of pace.

Ohio and Pennsylvania corn farmers made huge planting gains over the past week, with Buckeye State farmers tacking on 20 percentage points and Quaker State farmers adding 21. Indiana farmers also added 12 percentage points of progress over the last seven days.

In soybeans, Mississippi farmers continue to set the pace this season, adding 15 percentage points in the past week to continue front-running at 67% planted. Arkansas sits just off the leader at 65%. Indiana soybean farmers also had themselves a nice week, increasing from 8% planted to 20% planted.

Meanwhile, planting conditions have not been particularly kind to our friends in North Dakota. The state that gave NFL fans Carson Wentz and Trey Lance at the quarterback position currently sits at 11% planted for corn and just 3% in soybeans. Hopefully things warm up and dry up soon in the Roughrider State.

Iowa also had a slow week last week, tacking on just five percentage points in soybean planting progress (30% planted) and eight points in corn (47%).

North Central Ohio Farmer Update

Matt Spillman farms right around 2,500 acres of sandy light to heavy clay soils with his two brothers and his mom and uncle just a handful of miles south of The Pro Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton, Ohio.

Coming off a record season for corn yields, Spillman Farms came into spring really wet before things started drying up over the last two weeks, he says. Local rivers were at flood stage, prompting local dam authorities to “let the water loose and things dried out fairly well here.”

That dry up enabled the brothers to knock out about 75% of their corn and bean plantings by the first week of May. Last year, he says they had “hardly planted much” before May 9.

“I doubt we’ll be turning any wheels in the field here this week, though,” Spillman says. “The way things are looking, we just had anywhere from an inch to an inch and a half in the past day and a half – which we were needing a shot of rain. It’s going to help the crops.”

Spillman says that in his area, about 70% of the time early planting dates similar to this year have paid off with “some of our best crops.”

He is already seeing corn and beans emerging, signaling that everything is looking pretty good thus far.

“We had really nice heat over the last seven, eight days, and that just pushed things along,” he adds.

Matt’s role on the farm – each brother has an area of expertise they champion in the operation – is that of head applicator. Although at Spillman Farms they do their own fertilizer spreading and spray applications during the season, he could foresee a potential for things getting backed up if you’re relying on the local co-op or a custom applicator this summer.

“Being out in the fields the first two weeks of April to accomplish spring burndowns, that kind of thing can definitely put them behind on what they can cover ground-wise,” he adds.

#plant24 Updates from X (via AgDay TV’s Tyne Morgan)

Lack of planting in Iowa:

After a 10-day rain delay, planting in Illinois:

More planting in Illinois:

Planting started in North Dakota: