The recent wet weather has caused a longer delay than what farmers are wanting.

Landus Cooperative Field Agronomist Dan Bjorklund tells Raccoon Valley Radio that farmers started planting corn on April 12th, when crop insurance began, and when the weather forecast was predicting colder days and rain, some farmers then switched to planting soybeans. Bjorklund notes about 40% of corn may be planted and only about 20% of soybeans, compared to last year when about 95 percent of corn and soybeans were planted by the end of April.

With the continued rainfall, Bjorklund advises farmers to stay with their normal maturity hybrids until May 25th, based on research from Iowa State University that has proven to be the best choice. He offers this other recommendation.

“Second point, which is really difficult, is still wait until the soil is fit. And that is such a common refrain that man, when it’s been raining for two weeks and it dries off for four or five days and the soil is just getting ready to go but not quite ready and they’re calling for rain in a few days the temptation is to plant and a lot of times just end up fighting it all season long if you do that.”  

However, Bjorklund adds there looks to be a break in the weather soon for about five to six days which may help to dry out the soil enough to start up crop planting again.