About 3 percent of the national corn crop is up, a USDA report says
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
U.S. corn plants are starting to emerge.
About 3 percent of the national corn crop is up, the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin for April 29 says. That progress is on par with last year.
On a state level, corn in Texas is the furthest ahead. Its corn is 55 percent emerged, which is a 5 percent increase from last year.
Tennessee corn is 19 percent emerged, the USDA says. Farmers there are pleased with what they’re seeing so far.
“I would say everything looks pretty fair,” Alan Meadows, a cash crop grower from Halls, Tenn., told Farms.com. “I’m hoping to finish planting today, then I can get a better idea of how the crop is coming up.”
Corn has also emerged in North Carolina (23 percent), Kentucky (12 percent), Missouri (7 percent) and Kansas (3 percent).
Producers continue to plant the 2019 soybean crop.
Farmers have seeded about 3 percent of America’s soybean acres, the USDA says. That number is about on par with the progress (5 percent) at this time last year.
On the state level, however, some farmers are a bit behind their progress at this point in 2018.
Louisiana growers are the furthest along, having planted 24 percent of their soybeans. Last year, in contrast, they had planted 38 percent of their beans.
Similarly, producers in Mississippi have planted 20 percent of their soybeans. This figure is down from 34 percent at this juncture in 2018.
Consistent rain has slowed planting down but, at this point, it’s not too serious of an issue, said Jimmy Sneed, a producer from Hernando, Miss.
“As long as we don’t get lots of rain for an extended period, we should be fine,” he told Farms.com. “The last rain we got was maybe about half of an inch, so we were still able to get out and plant. We’re a few days behind right now but still within a good window for soybean planting.”
Spring wheat planting is also progressing.
Producers have seeded about 13 percent of the 2019 spring wheat crop, the USDA says. That number is up from 9 percent last year.
Growers have completed 61 percent of spring wheat planting. That number is on par with last year and the highest among the six recorded states.