Wet conditions across the Corn Belt are delaying corn plantings. The Department of Agriculture indicated earlier this week corn plantings have fallen slightly behind the five-year average, and wet weather this week in the Midwest will likely bring further delays. With six percent of total corn acres planted by April 16th, progress fell three percentage points short of the five-year average. Over the next ten days, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting normal to cooler temperatures in the Eastern Corn Belt and normal to above average precipitation in all areas of the U.S., except the Southwest. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s new Market Intel website says the potential for additional corn planting delays remain because of the wet forecast. USDA currently projects U.S. farmers to plant four million fewer corn acres in the 2017-18 crop year at 89.9 million acres. AFBF says significant weather complications due to excessive moisture that delay or slow planting could ultimately lead to even fewer corn acres being planted, adding weather will continue to play a critical role in the coming weeks as farmers seek to plant this years’ corn crop.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.