May 12, 2010
Heavy Rains Afflict Crop Damage in Tennessee and Kentucky
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The farmers in the mid-South had gotten off to a good start in planting their 2010 crops until the heavy rains of earlier last week caused widespread damage in the region. Most of the flood waters have receded, but more rain fell in the area on Sunday and Monday and as a result, some of the low lying areas could be under water or water logged for an extended period of time (several weeks).
Prior to the flooding, Tennessee farmers had planted 86% of their corn and in Kentucky, 83% of the corn had already been planted. Corn planting in the two states progressed slowly last week and now 88% of the corn in Tennessee and 89% of the corn in Kentucky has been planted as of Sunday. Less than 10% of the soybeans in either state had been planted prior to the flooding. The soybean planting in the two states progressed to 10% and 11% in Tennessee and Kentucky respectively.
In the low lying areas, the flooding will require replanting of the corn, cotton, or soybeans that had been planted prior to the flooding. If the standing water lingers for an extended period of time, some of the drowned out corn may eventually be claimed under crop insurance or it might be replanted to soybeans. It will depend on how long it stays wet, what sort of inputs had already been applied before the flooding, and the type of crop insurance that had been purchased.
Damage assessments continue to be conducted in the hardest hit areas of Tennessee. In addition to being completely drowned out, some of the seeds and fertilizers were washed away, germination will be lower than normal, plant populations will be lower than normal, and more root diseases and stalk diseases will appear later in the summer. The heavy rains will also cause crusting of some of the heavier soils in the region. If the crust is not broken up, it could impede germination of the corn, soybeans, and cotton that had already been planted.
Tennessee and Kentucky are not major corn and soybean producing states accounting for 2.28% of the nationwide corn acreage and 3.23% of the nationwide soybean acreage. Tennessee farmers were expected to plant 710,000 acres of corn and 1,430,000 acres of soybeans, 0.8% and 1.8% of the nationwide total respectively. Farmers in Kentucky were expected to plant 1,320,000 acres of corn and 1,370,000 acres of soybeans, 1.48% and 1.75% of the nationwide total respectively.
When you combine both states, it's possible that a half a million acres or more of corn will either not be replanted or will be switched to another crop, most probably soybeans.