Apr 28, 2010
Indiana and Ohio on Track for Record Planting Pace
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
We drove through Indiana and Ohio over the weekend and in the prime production areas of western Indiana it appeared that nearly all the corn had been planted. The percentage of the corn crop that had been planted decreased a little as you moved into eastern Indiana and western Ohio. The soils of western Ohio are more forest-type of soils and they are not as rich as the prairie soils found in western Indiana. They are also higher in clay content so they do not warm up as fast or dry out as quickly as the soils in western Indiana.
In the weekly crop weather report, Indiana reported that 56% of the corn has been planted compared to an average of 14%. This easily surpassed the prior record of 42% planted in 2004. Twelve percent of the soybeans in Indiana have been planted in Indiana compared to the record of 8% planted in 2004. In Ohio 45% of the corn has been planted compared to an average of 19% and 13% of the soybeans have already been planted and the state does not even report an average for soybean planting for April 26th.
There were a few fields in Indiana where the corn had already emerged, but the weekend rains will now insure that all the corn that has been planted will emerge quickly. In western Indian, there was some standing water after the rains, so it will be a few days before the farmers can get back into the fields. After such a rapid start to planting, a short delay in planting is not bad at all. You don't want all your corn planted at the same time because it then goes through its growth stages at the same time as well. Spreading out of the planting a little also spreads out some of the risks from adverse weather during the summer.