A cold, wet spring delayed planting through much of the central U.S. corn production areas. However, the arrival of better weather and access to state-of-the-art planting equipment has made it possible for farmers to play “catch-up” from the late start.

It is no different for Lou Lamoreux, a farmer in northwestern Illinois who has 1,800 acres of farmland. His land, which will be planted in 1,000 acres of corn, 350 acres of soybean and 450 acres split between wheat, alfalfa and open pasture this year, continued to receive rain and chilly weather until the first week of May.

Lamoreux began planting May 5 and has completed approximately 15 percent of his corn planting for the year. Even so, he’s still optimistic.

“This is the latest start to planting that I can remember since returning to the farm in 1974,” Lamoreux commented. “I’m not complaining, as we were in dire need of the moisture.”

Planting Throughout Illinois

The entire state of Illinois is on pace with its five-year average for planting, thanks to a few weeks of warm weather.
However, planting progress changes dramatically depending on where a farmer is located within the state. In central Illinois near Springfield, a dry weather spell the last week of April allowed farmers to nearly complete their planting, reaching 90 to 95 percent of their target.

The northern and southern parts of the state faced harsher conditions, which delayed their planting progress. South of Springfield, only 4 percent of planting was finished before April 20, well below the five-year average of 22 percent. Once the weather improved, farmers were able to rebound and have completed 30 percent of planting. The quick progress is due largely to modern machinery that makes it possible to quickly cover acres in just a few days of good weather.

As equipment gets larger, it becomes easier for farmers to get out into the fields and plant more acres in less time. This has been the key to recovering from a late start brought on by a long, frigid winter and wet spring. Now, U.S. corn growers are back on track for an excellent growing season.