Record planting delays continue across the region and country with relentless rains and flooding. USDA’s crop progress report showed U.S. corn planting at 67-percent, leaving 30.6 million acres unplanted. South Dakota’s pace on corn is still one of the slowest in the country at only 44-percent. However, farmers planted about 20-percent of the crop with last week’s break in the weather, mostly north of I-90. However, Pioneer Agronomist Larry Osborne says many farmers have switched to earlier corn and are still planting even with yield loss to take advantage of the price.
Osborne does expect a record number of prevented plant acres on corn in the state this year, especially since switching to soybeans isn’t as attractive economically.
Soybean planting didn’t fare much better at only 39-percent complete nationally, one of the slowest on record for this date. Again, South Dakota had the slowest pace in the nation at only 14-percent seeded on beans. However, Osborne says farmers should make some pretty good progress this week with a little drier weather.
Nationally, prevented plant acreage estimates range from 8 to 12 million acres, just on corn. There will likely be several million acres of soybeans that go unplanted as well.
