Row crop planting efforts in the region have been slowed with the recent rain and cold weather, but there is still ample time to get the crop seeded and preserve top end yield potential. Pioneer Field Agronomist Wes Helkenn says the forecast looks more cooperative by the end of the week and field conditions are favorable.

He says 50-degrees is the optimal soil temperature for corn to get the best emergence, but farmers can plant into cooler soils with a warming trend to follow. The same is true for early soybeans.

So,Helkenn says farmers are still in that optimal planting window for corn to get trendline yields.

He says when the weather does provide a window for planting it will go quickly with all of the tillage and fertilizer that was put down last fall. However, Helkenn does caution that with the warm March there is some early weed pressure that farmers will need to spray early with a residual herbicide.