Weather delays planting season

Farming experts say this year's planting season is off by a few days on average, although most Indiana farmers have been spared the rain-sodden conditions that delayed last spring's fieldwork.\nLast year, a wetter-than-usual spring slowed the planting of corn and soybeans and was followed by a dry summer that cost farmers millions of dollars.\nBut this year's conditions are generally better, although recent heavy rains have left some areas -- particularly in southern Indiana -- too damp to support planting equipment.\n"Very little, if even anything, is planted there. This time last year, they were going in the fields already," said Dave Sturgell, county executive director of USDA Farm Agency for Vanderburgh County in far southwestern Indiana.\nStatewide, corn planting is four days behind average and soybean planting is off by about 10 days, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service.\nChris Hurt, an agricultural economist at Purdue University, said the recent wet weather comes after a furious planting pace that saw Hoosier farmers seed 50 percent of their intended corn acreage and 17 percent of their soybean acres by May 4.\n"The early start of corn planting was quite favorable up through early May, but now we do have delays," Hurt said.\n"We're beginning to look at a two-crop situation. We have the early-planted corn and will now have the late-planted corn. Later corn planting, particularly as we move beyond May 20, may well lower yield potential."\nTypically, the corn-planting season starts around April 1 and farmers try to have all of that crop planted by May 15.\nThe middle of May is considered the best planting time because of spring rains and time the plant needs to mature and grow an extensive root system before summer heat and humidity hit.\nShortly after planting corn, farmers then turn to planting soybeans -- which are harvested a few weeks after corn in the fall.\nIn some areas, Indiana farmers are struggling to meet crop insurance deadlines that range from June 1 to June 5.\nBased on the March 1 USDA's Agricultural Statistics Service survey, Indiana farmers intend to plant 5.7 million acres of corn and 5.6 million acres of soybeans.\nStatewide, 61 percent of corn acreage was planted by last week. By region, 72 percent of the corn acreage was planted in the north, 65 percent in the central region and 30 percent in the south.\nTwenty-five percent of the soybean acreage had been planted. By area, 37 percent of the soybean acreage was planted in the north, 25 percent in the central region and 5 percent in the south.