April 15, 2004

US Corn Planting Aided By Ideal Weather

Nearly ideal weather across the U.S. Midwest has given farmers a jump-start on planting this year's corn crop, and clear skies and warm temperatures are expected to push seeding along, meteorologists said on Wednesday.

"I couldn't write a better script for the start of the 2004 planting season," said Craig Solberg, meteorologist for Freese-Notis Weather, Des Moines, Iowa. "It will be warm and dry through Saturday so there will be a lot of corn going in the ground if they choose to plant this early."

Planting was already ahead of schedule last week. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on Monday that farmers seeded 6 percent of their corn crop by Sunday, ahead of the 2003 pace of 4 percent and the five-year average of 4 percent.

Most of the seeding occurred in the southern Corn Belt, including Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

"The only area where it's still a little wet for planting is in southeast Indiana and Ohio," Solberg said, but "they should be able to start planting by the weekend."

Temperatures were expected to climb into the 70-degrees-Fahrenheit range over most the Midwest through early next week, meteorologists said. The next threat of rain will be over the weekend, but it should turn dry again early next week and remain clear most of next week.

Meteorlogix's Midwest six- to 10-day forecast for Monday, April 19, through Friday, April 23, called for near- to above-normal temperatures, and for rainfall to be near to below normal.

There are some indications in the U.S. weather model that the western belt could turn wet late next week, which could slow the planting pace there despite warmer temperatures, meteorologists said.

"But in the east, the pace should really start to pick up next week. I think they're going to see the planting expand quite a bit northward," said Joel Widenor, a meteorologist with Cropcast, based in Rockville, Maryland.