Planting Delayed by Wet Weather
Published: Friday, April 29, 2022
Some farmers have started planting, but many others are still waiting for their fields to dry out and temperatures to warm up a bit in what's been a cold, wet spring.
Matt Schafer of LaCrosse said he hopes to begin planting his corn and soybean crop before the weekend if Mother Nature finally cooperates.
Schafer said he doesn't have any standing water in his fields, but the soil is kind of tacky and the quarter inch of rain in his area on Sunday certainly didn't help dry things out.
He liked the season's first 70 and 80 degree temperatures along with breezy conditions this past Saturday and Sunday, but not the forecast calling for a return to 40 and 50 degree high temperatures until Friday.
Schafer was thankful only a slight chance of rain was predicted this week.
He saw a handful of farmers putting seed in the ground for the first time this year during the brief warmup.
"My dad, who's still active on the farm here, was quick to point out the neighbors were going the other day and we weren't so, yeah, when things dry off next time we'll be ready to go," he said.
The spring rains have been spotty, with some areas not being hit as often with a major deluge as other parts of northern Indiana or southwestern Michigan.
Schafer said there's only been light to modest rainfall in his fields, but the precipitation has been frequent and the mostly cool temperatures slowing evaporation have kept the ground too soft for tractors and other heavy machinery.
"In between showers, we just never had any warmth or sun to dry things out," he said.
Schafer said the cool weather has also delayed planting because the temperature of the soil must be in the 50s for seeds to germinate.
Seeds in the ground too long are at risk of not producing.
Kassi Rowland, a partner at Tom Farms in Leesburg, said her fields were also too wet for planting before close to a half inch of rain came down on Sunday.
She said the soil was mostly soft, but there were pockets of standing water in their fields further to the south.
"You don't want to plant too many seeds in the mud. It doesn't work well," she said.
Tom Farms has about 18,000 acres in Kosciusko, Marshall, Huntington, Whitley, Elkhart and Noble counties.
Rowland said rain in her area has also come from storm clouds rolling in often without the drenching experienced in other parts of the region.
She believes corn and soybeans can start being planted at her farm before the weekend if the early part of the week is mostly dry.
Rowland said she witnessed seeds going into the ground last Saturday at another farm in Nappanee. The planting was done except in areas of standing water.
She understands why some farmers take the risk of planting now instead of waiting for more ideal conditions.
However, she said there's no reason to panic since planting is only slightly behind schedule.
"At some point, you just have to go. You have to pull the trigger," Rowland said.
Schafer agreed.
"We're not what I consider to be extremely late. We're still OK, but we are a week behind where we want to be," he said.
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