Another wet week was in store for Illinois farmers because of excess rainfall the week prior to July 1, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Illinois Weather & Crops report confirmed.

Though many farmers had second corn plantings wiped out by intense rainfall in scattered regions of Illinois, most are still optimistic for a profitable 2013 as corn and soybean growth improves and plants begin to shape up in appearance.

“We had a few drowned-out spots – about 10 acres or less – that we replanted and got drowned out again,” said Rob Asbell, who farms in the Brimfield area of Peoria County, of his corn crop. “(But) I would say 90 to 95 percent is looking very good.

“We have some very, very good-looking corn starting to tassel. We have later (corn) planted the second week of May that is probably (growth stage) V5 to V7, so it’s looking pretty good, too. Some of our corn is shoulder-high already, so we’re in pretty good shape.”

Though most of Asbell’s corn is at normal development stages, the old adage “knee-high by the Fourth of July” has been resurrected by some farmers this year. One farmer with such corn Thursday was Garry Niemeyer, board chair of the National Corn Growers Assoc. and a grower in Auburn, located 30 miles south of Springfield in Sangamon County.

“We have knee-high replant corn,” he said. “Earlier corn is waist- to chest-high. I would guess that about 17 percent of my corn is replant. The corn that is knee-high looks pretty darned good, though.”

The flat topography of Niemeyer’s land was to blame for the significant ponding that caused him to replant such a high percentage of his corn crop, he added. He noticed little, if any, insect damage, disease or blight on his crops so far this season.

“I’m surprised, to be honest. We’ve had Japanese beetle problems the past three or four years and they are hardly noticeable now.”

As for soybean growth, Asbell planted 900 acres on May 13 before being shut out of the field due to excessive rainfall and wet conditions for about a month. Those first beans are “looking very good and almost ready to flower,” he said.

Though his subsequent soybean plantings are not looking quite as robust, Asbell is still optimistic about their chances to flourish, if only Mother Nature would smile upon the remainder of the growing season.

Niemeyer planted his soybeans May 27 and is pleased with their progress to date. “I’m very impressed by the looks of the corn and the soybeans – they are just a month behind,” he said.

If Ohio farmers plan to make hay while the sun shines, they haven’t had much of a window. Last week there were only three days suitable for fieldwork and long-range forecasts are predicting more rain over the next several days. The rain provided much needed moisture for many areas, and a few areas saw flooding in low spots or poorly drained soils.

While the soil moisture in most parts of the state range from adequate to surplus for topsoil and subsoil conditions, a few parts are still a little short on moisture. Farmers in northeastern Ohio saw wind and hail damage on their corn and wheat crops.

Wheat will be ready for harvest once the weather permits and most of the crop is rated fair to excellent. However if it isn’t harvested in a timely manner, farmers could see problems with rot and sprouting.

Warmer temperatures helped dry out the fields and gave farmers in southern Ohio a chance to get their tobacco crop transplanted, according to Doug Fenton of Winchester, in Adams County. In his case, the fact he and his family were one of the host farms for the national Ayrshire convention was added incentive to get their tobacco crop out of the greenhouse and into the field.

The Fentons typically raise 50-55 acres. “Our crop looks real good,” he said. “We have had plenty of moisture. We have had a lot of rain the last two days. Tobacco likes high humidity, but we are probably better off if it is a little dry as opposed to too wet.”

Fenton said unlike corn and soybeans, tobacco can wait on moisture. “Dry weather won’t hurt tobacco if we get rain at the right time,” he said.

They start planting tobacco in April, with the goal of having the plants ready for transplanting by the end of May and finishing in mid-June. “We finished transplanting tobacco by June 20,” he said. “That was a little earlier than some years.”

Rain, rain and more rain blanketed many parts of Indiana in the last week, with heavy drenching occurring often in the southern part of the state. Southern Vigo County alone experienced more than a foot of rain in seven days, with more than 20 inches since April 1, according to NASS.

“The most recent rainfall has been from what’s called an ‘upper low’ – that is, a low-pressure system that is cut off from the upper air flows and spins in the same area for days,” said Jesse Walker, chief meteorologist for WTWO-TV at Terre Haute. “Earlier in the year we had a similar situation with an area of high pressure and this caused fronts to stay near and keep us wet.”

Walker says the summer as a whole will have slightly above-normal temperatures and rainfall. Above-normal rainfall caused only three days to be suitable for fieldwork the last week of June, and only 27 percent of the winter wheat acreage to be harvested, compared with 88 percent last year. Pasture condition is rated 79 percent good to excellent, compared with 6 percent last year at this time.

What’s a farmer to consider, when receiving such huge amounts of water in their early growing season? Eddy Adams, district conservationist for Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District, advises it’s what farmers have been doing to their land up to this point in preparation for “improving the odds” during difficult situations that makes the difference.

“Farmers must create soil resilience for crops to adapt and continue growing and maturing appropriately in these conditions,” he said.

Adams said one of his supervisors reminds farmers to make sure all possible drainage opportunities are open, and to consider cover crops to prevent soil loss during excessive rainfall events.

In most of Indiana the corn condition improved to 79 percent good to excellent compared with 19 percent last year. Ninety-six percent of the soybean acreage has emerged and is rated at 74 percent good to excellent.