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Winter rains shouldn't impede much planting


By Michele F. Mihaljevich

Indiana Correspondent

SYRACUSE, Ind. — Flooding and standing water left by heavy rains in February shouldn’t have a big impact on spring planting, according to crop experts – but the prospect of a wet spring might.

The heavy rainfall caused rivers to overflow their banks in February into March, flooding businesses, homes, roads and farm fields across the region. Melting snow in some areas added to the high water.

“In late February, we had a front that just sat over us and brought all that heavy rain for two-and-a-half, three days,” said Mark Steinwedel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s (NWS) northern Indiana office. “We had round after round of rain. It was pretty consistent. The snow melt added to big-time flooding in the South Bend area. They had about 15 inches of snow, and the rain on top of it.”

South Bend, with more than 8 inches of rain, had its wettest February on record, he noted. The average for the city in February is 1.95 inches. Fort Wayne had 4.37 inches in February, making it the eighth-wettest on record; the average is 2.04.

Northern Indiana wasn’t the only area with excessive rainfall. Ohio had its second-wettest February on record, said Aaron Wilson, senior research associate with Ohio State University extension and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. Daily or monthly rainfall records were also reported to be broken in parts of Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.

At press time, disasters had been declared in multiple counties in the area – 31 in Indiana, 17 in Ohio and three each in Illinois and Michigan. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin declared a statewide emergency on Feb. 23.

Robert Nielsen, a professor of agronomy at Purdue University and an extension corn specialist, said there is little about the current rainy period that will impact spring planting or early establishment of the corn crop. He did recommend that farmers who had floods or standing water check their fields.

“For some, there is a need to remove floodwater trash from fields, including drifted crop residues,” he explained. “They should repair or clean drainage ditches and repair eroded gullies and waterways.”

Mark A. Licht, Iowa State University extension cropping systems agronomist, agreed farmers shouldn’t be worried yet about spring planting. “At this stage of the game, it’s too early to know what impact (the flooding) may have. We’re weeks off from spring planting in Iowa. Honestly, I don’t think it will impact us right now.”

Jon Charlesworth, Purdue extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Benton County, said he saw quite a bit of standing water in fields in the area, with a few flooded creeks. The water had receded a few days into March.

“We weren’t as impacted by the flooding as some of our neighboring counties,” he explained. “There was a lot of flooding along rivers, and we don’t have a big river that goes through our county. We had a lot of rain that fell on ground that was frozen, so it ran off.”

There could be some benefits to standing water or flooding in a field, Charlesworth said. Sediment from upstream may get deposited, bringing with it nutrients and fertilizer. “Assuming you don’t get 6 inches of sediment and it’s just a thin layer, it could be a plus,” he said.

Peter Thomison, professor of corn cropping systems in OSU’s Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, said farmers who made some applications last fall might consider an additional soil test. “It’s an economic issue,” he explained. “It’s a part of how they’re going to assess if nutrients are adequate. In some situations, a soil test might be called for. It’s really on a field-by-field basis.

“They may also have to do some additional fieldwork, especially if they were late getting corn out. In some areas, corn was still being harvested into January. The fields that they were able to get into, they probably were able to get more of their fieldwork done. If they can, they should go out and check their fields before planting.”

Spring weather outlook

Above-normal rainfall is expected in all of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky (except the far western portion), Michigan and Ohio, and in eastern Iowa in April-June, according to the latest precipitation outlook from the NWS. Western Iowa and Tennessee were given equal chances of having above or below normal precipitation. Above-normal temperatures are forecast for most of the area.

The current La Nina weather pattern is expected to be around at least through spring, Wilson said. “The cold and dry weather (at the beginning of winter) to the wet and warm (toward the end of winter) is consistent with what we’d expect with a La Nina pattern,” he said. “The confidence is pretty high we’ll see above-normal precipitation for the spring.”

A wet spring will probably impact corn more than soybeans, Charlesworth said.

“Both corn and soybeans need the same conditions (for ideal planting) but typically, corn needs to be started earlier,” he explained. “They’ll plant the corn first, generally late April, early May. If they haven’t planted by June 1, yield starts decreasing. Soybeans don’t have as much of a yield penalty.”

Charlesworth hopes farmers don’t have to deal with a repeat of last spring, when heavy rains in April and May forced many to consider replanting. “It’s tough to make that decision,” he noted. “We were wringing our hands over if some needed to be replanted.”

The weather over the next few weeks will impact Iowa’s corn and soybean planting, Licht said. Despite heavy rains in parts of the state, the southeastern and south-central regions were considered in a moderate drought or abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of March 8.

“As we get closer to planting, precipitation at or above normal typically leads to delays in planting,” he said. “That can cause stand establishment issues and replanting. Spring is a pretty critical time in getting planted, and the plants up and growing.”

Late planting and replanting certainly isn’t anything new for farmers in this part of the country, Thomison noted. “We do experience these late plantings one out of every three, four years,” he said. “The traditional thinking is that the greatest drop-off (with late planting) is in corn yields. But more and more we’re finding that soybeans benefit from early planting as much as corn.”

Impact on wheat

Excess rains could have an effect on the wheat crop, said Elizabeth M. Hawkins, a field specialist in agronomic systems with OSU extension.

“Standing water and flooding absolutely could impact wheat and alfalfa,” she noted. “I’ve seen some greening (of the crop) in the last week or so. When wheat is still dormant, it’s a little less susceptible to damage. The biggest thing, in areas with standing water, is to assess the stand to decide if you want to keep the crop or not.”

Wheat still covered by snow will probably better endure the temperature swings some areas saw in late February and into March, Licht noted. “With saturated soils and lack of snow cover, there’s more of a risk of winter kill. It’s much harder on the plant. With snow cover, wheat can take the temperature swings because it’s more insulated.

“As for the rain, the question is, did the wheat break dormancy? If it’s still in dormancy, it can tolerate saturated conditions better,” he said.

Winter wheat shouldn’t be evaluated until completely green from warmer temperatures and drier conditions, noted Laura Lindsey, assistant professor of soybean and small grain production for OSU’s Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.

“Stand evaluations will be more accurate when made during weather periods that promote growth,” she explained. “Keep in mind that under adequate weather conditions, tillering may compensate for a relatively poor stand.”

3/21/2018