Spring Planting on Track; Freezing Temps Endanger Early Crop Development

Though soybean planting is running slightly ahead of the normal pace for this early week in the growing season, there are trouble spots in the Delta region where farmers are as much as 13% behind the normal pace for this week, according to Monday’s USDA-NASS Crop Progress report. At the same time, 8% of the corn crop was planted as of the start of this week, on par with the previous five-year average and slightly ahead of last year at this time. Two percent of the crop has emerged, also slightly ahead of last year’s progress. But early crop development could be hampered by temperatures dipping below freezing in much of the Midwest and parts of the Plains this week. Those temperatures are also creating new risk for the winter wheat crop in places like the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, though forecasters say given the progress of that crop, damage should be minor. See more from Monday’s Crop Progress report.