The USDA’s latest Crop Progress and Conditions report, released on April 14, underscores the impact of heavy rains and flooding in the Ohio River Valley, where saturated soils have significantly delayed planting. Areas from Arkansas to Kentucky faced over 10 inches of rainfall in the first half of April, with flooding disrupting fieldwork. In Ohio, a key agricultural state, farmers managed only 0.6 days suitable for planting in the week ending April 13, highlighting the severity of the weather-related challenges.
The report also showed that US corn is 4% planted, compared to 5% for the five-year average and is less than was expected, market players say. US soybeans are 2% planted, in line with the five-year average. For corn, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee are all behind their respective five-year averages. For soybeans, Indiana, and Kentucky are behind their five-year averages. Corn planting is typically slightly earlier than soybeans in the US, so it has been impacted more by the rains. Market players say this confirms reports that farmers have had difficulty in getting into the fields.
Looking ahead, scattered showers forecast for the coming week may further delay planting, market players say, raising concerns about meeting optimal crop establishment windows. However, it is still early in the planting season and there is still time for US farmers to make up for lost time, as they have done during previous wet Springs.
Expana track the impacts of weather on over 200 different crops across 300 geographies. Find out more here.
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Written by Murphy Campbell
