Planting progress continues to lag well behind normal in the northwestern corn belt. USDA’s Crop Progress report showed only 19-percent of the spring wheat crop was seeded in South Dakota compared to the 76-percent average and no corn has been planted verses the 29-percent normal pace. Pioneer Product Agronomist Kyle Christensen says it is still too early for farmers to switch to earlier maturing corn hybrids.
He says corn is already losing yield, but points out few growing degree days have accumulated yet and the weather the rest of the growing season is more important to overall yield than planting date.
Christensen also advises farmers to wait and not mud in the crop because that too can have a negative yield drag.
Other states in the region are also behind with spring wheat seeding in Minnesota at only 7-percent, which is behind the average of 51-percent and corn planting is at 6-percent, compared to 22-percent normally. In North Dakota corn planting is at 3 percent verses 23-percent on average. In Iowa 36-percent of farmers have planted corn compared to the norm of 51-percent.
