Soybean emergence is 19 percent behind last year’s progress
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Some of the 2019 American soybean crop is up.
About 5 percent of national soybean acres have emerged, the USDA’s Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin for May 21 said. That figure is down from 24 percent at this time last year.
Crops in several states are below 2018’s progress.
Soybeans in Louisiana, for example, are only 46 percent emerged compared to 81 percent a year ago. And in Mississippi, soybeans are 32 percent emerged, contrasted to 63 percent last year.
The reason for much for the delayed emergence, at least in Mississippi, is due to flooding, said Gip Carter, a soybean producer from Rolling Fork, Miss.
“We planted about 800 acres and 400 of them are probably under water,” he told Farms.com. “What did emerge looked good but we’re probably going to have to replant most of them, but we might not even be able to do that until closer to July.”
The Mississippi Delta has a levy around it to keep from the Mississippi River from backing up. The levy has been closed since February and rising water levels sent overflow into his fields and others in the area, Carter said.
U.S. corn plants are also emerging.
About 19 percent of U.S. corn is up, the USDA reported. That figure is down from 47 percent last year.
On a state level, corn in North Carolina is 80 percent emerged, representing the most progress out of the 18 documented states.
South Dakota is the only state without any recorded corn emergence.
The 2019 spring wheat crop continues to emerge as well.
About 26 percent of spring wheat acres are up, the USDA said. That number represents an 8 percent decrease from last year.
Spring wheat in Washington is 69 percent emerged, which is the most of the six recorded states. About 17 percent of spring wheat in Minnesota is emerged, which is the lowest progress.