Good Planting Progress Reported
Published: Friday, May 28, 2021
The following is from the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending May 23.
A week of unseasonably warm temperatures coupled with minimal precipitation allowed Indiana farmers to make excellent planting progress. Twenty percent of Indiana's corn and 19 percent of Indiana's soybeans were planted last week.
The average temperature for the week was 70 degrees F, 5.4 degrees above normal.
The amount of rainfall varied from none to 2.02 inches over the week. The statewide average precipitation was .43 inches.
There were 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork.
A hot, relatively dry week allowed Indiana farmers to make excellent corn and soybean planting progress last week. Both crops are now ahead of both last year and the 5-year planting averages.
Hay producers utilized the excellent hay making weather to cut more than 25 percent of the first cutting of alfalfa last week. Conditions were perfect for making high-quality hay, though some producers expressed concern that late frosts and freezes this spring had hurt their alfalfa stands.
The dry weather helped to push wheat development and the crop remained in relatively good condition. Wheat growers were beginning to consider the timing of a fungicide application.
Other activities for the week included herbicide and fertilizer applications, equipment maintenance and marketing livestock.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 3 percent; short, 16 percent; adequate, 76 percent; surplus, 5 percent.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 4 percent; short, 16 percent; adequate, 75 percent; surplus, 5 percent.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2020 and 5-year average) showed: corn planted, 82, 62, 79, 66; corn emerged, 55, 34, 52, 44; soybeans planted, 69, 50, 65, 47; soybeans emerged, 41, 22, 35, 24; winter wheat jointing, 92, 86, 92, 92; winter wheat headed, 52, 33, 49, 63; alfalfa hay, first cutting, 32, 6, 7, NA.
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