BOGGSTOWN, Ind. – When Boggstown farmer Chris Eck first started his spring planting in April, the weather and the soils in Shelby County were cool and wet – and after several inches of rain the first week in April, most of the surface flooding disappeared.

“The fields in the river bottoms took the worst of the water,” he told Farm World. “The forecast doesn’t look to be warming up much, with some rain still predicted.” He raises a variety of crops from corn and soybeans to wheat, seed corn and snap beans with his family, and is one of 24 volunteer directors at the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

As of April 28, he said, “Weather in Boggstown, Ind., has been up and down. Cold then hot, wet then dry. We had showers at the end of last week that put us out of the field, with quantities from four tenths to 2 inches. A few neighbors were back in the field on Sunday (April 27). We will continue corn and soybean planting on Monday. All of our anhydrous and burndown is finished.

“We’ve planted enough corn and soybeans to find and fix any problems with the planters,” he added. “The wheat looks very good, and (I’m) caught up on nitrogen and herbicide. We have been putting off seed corn planting until we have a rain window that will allow us to get our delays in without mud. Looks like more rain on Tuesday afternoon.”

According to the USDA Crop and Weather Report for April 20-26, “Showery weather from the Plains to the Appalachians led to modest fieldwork delays, but generally benefited rangeland, pastures and crops. Across drought-affected areas of the Plains, rain was especially timely for winter wheat and recently planted summer crops.

“Precipitation was virtually nonexistent in the Rockies, Northwest and Florida, while parts of the southern Plains, Midwest, and South had more than twice the normal weekly rainfall,” the report added.

By April 27, the USDA said, producers had planted 24 percent of the nation’s corn crop. Texas led the way with 74 percent planted. Five percent of the nation’s corn acreage had emerged by April 27. Eighteen percent of the nation’s soybean acreage was planted by April 27. Progress was furthest along in Louisiana, with 70 percent planted.

As of April 28, Cory Bratland, Agmarket.net hedge strategist, said, “Good rains across much of the Corn Belt over the weekend has the corn market starting off the week a bit defensive. Planting pace is well ahead of the five-year average and once we dry out later this week, we should see the planting pace pick up.”

In Indiana, the USDA said for the week ending April 27, corn planted was at 10 percent, with no emergence; soybeans planted were also at 10 percent. Winter wheat was jointing at 50 percent and headed at 4 percent.

In Illinois, corn planted reached 16 percent, with corn emerged reaching 2 percent; soybeans planted reached 22 percent, emerged at 4 percent; winter wheat headed was at 16 percent; and winter wheat condition was rated 2 percent very poor, to 8 percent excellent.

In Michigan, corn planted was at 6 percent; soybeans planted were at 8 percent; and winter wheat jointing was at 25 percent; oats planted were at 19 percent, emerged at 4 percent; and sugar beets planted were at 70 percent, emerged at 5 percent.

In Ohio, corn planted was at 8 percent; soybeans planted were at 10 percent; oats planted was at 51 percent, emerged at 12 percent; and winter wheat jointing was at 55 percent.

In Kentucky, seeding of tobacco transplants was at 77 percent, while the condition of plants remained mostly good, the USDA said. Winter wheat headed was at 27 percent, with the average height at 19 inches, and the condition of wheat improved slightly after stress from heavy rain in early April.

In Tennessee, corn planted was at 41 percent, emerged at 15 percent; soybeans planted were at 25 percent; winter wheat jointing was at 89 percent, heading at 49 percent; cotton planted was at 6 percent; and apples were blooming at 72 percent.

In Iowa, corn planted reached 34 percent, emerged at 2 percent; 25 percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted; oats seeding was at 81 percent complete; and 41 percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged.

Justin Glisan, State of Iowa climatologist, told Farm World, “Much of the Midwest is covered with a slight lean toward drier conditions, with near-normal to slightly wetter from western Iowa into the western Corn Belt. The CPC’s (Climate Prediction Center) three-to-four-week outlooks show a warmer pattern persisting, with no clear precipitation signal.”