What Does North Dakota’s Planting Delays Mean for Total Production?

North Dakota is a leading producer of corn, soybeans, spring wheat, sugarbeets, sunflowers, oats and barley. This year has been a nightmare in terms of spring planting.

As of May 22, farmers in the state have only planted 20% of its corn crop, which was estimated to be 3.6 million acres this year. Normally 66% of the state’s corn planting is complete by late May.

“I’d say most guys are in that 10% to 20% range for corn planting,” says Lee Briese, agronomist and soil scientist in southeast North Dakota. “Some guys haven’t been able to turn a wheel yet.”

Listen in as Briese discusses planting conditions with AgriTalk’s Chip Flory:

“It seems like we get a rain shot about every four or five days,” Briese says. “So, we get maybe one day of planting and then we get rained out again. But today guys are rolling wherever they can, hitting the high ground and in the corners.”

Most of North Dakota has a final planting date of May 25 for corn, May 31 or June 5 for spring wheat and June 10 for soybeans.

Briese says some farmers in the state have already switched to shorter-season corn varieties.

“Corn still looks like a good crop for us this year,” he says. “A lot of guys are going to start taking a little bit of a discount on their crop insurance. Some guys are going to go to the end of the month to plant corn or even the first part of June.”

But that decision is risky.

“We need a good fall to make that work,” Briese says. “Or we’re going to end up with wet corn and potentially light corn. So that’s, that’s really the worry is we just want won’t quite make maturity.”

Options After Corn

For soybeans, North Dakota farmers have planted only 7% of this year’s crop, which was predicted to hit 7 million acres. Normally about half is planted by late May.

“We have time to put beans in until the middle of June,” Briese says. “But it’s still risky. We’re still wet and we’ve got more rain in the forecast about every few days.”

Significant Spring Wheat Concerns

Spring wheat planting is also dramatically behind. As of May 22, only 27% of the crop in the state has been planted, and the average is 80% by this time. North Dakota is the top spring wheat state and 5.2 million acres were forecasted for this year.

“We have significant concerns about spring wheat,” Briese says. “When we start getting late with spring wheat, the summer heat tends to really hurt yield. However, being a shorter season crop, it’s going to make it to maturity.”

North Dakota farmers have an opportunity to make money off of spring wheat this year, he says, if they can get it in the ground.

Overall, Briese says farmers in his area will try to avoid prevent plant acres.

“A couple of years ago we had a lot of prevent plant acres, and we really battled with it all year and then even into the next year,” he says. “I think guys are really going to shy away from that as much as they can--the market incentive is too strong. We’re going to have some preventive plant, but I don’t think it’s going to be whole field.”

Other States Post Big Progress

Farmers across the country were able to plant a quarter of the corn and soybean crop last week, and that was also the case in states such as Illinois. USDA pegs planting at 78% in Illinois, which is right in line with the five-year average. Soybean planting hit 62% complete, which is now 5 points ahead of the five-year average.

How is your planting season going? Have your crops emerged? Share your crop report with AgWeb’s Crop Comments.

Read More

Corn Planting Now 7% Behind Five-Year Average

Running Out of Time: Prevent Plant Decisions Mount in Northern Corn Belt

Surprising Cut to Corn Yields and North Dakota’s Planting Nightmare Show Crop Supplies are Shrinking