Through April and early May, the United States saw planting delays in major corn-growing states because of a cool, wet spring. Fortunately, farmers have made up for lost time thanks to warmer weather over the last few weeks, and are now on pace with the five-year average. While a few of the northernmost states struggled with lingering weather and federal crop insurance deadlines, overall, planting progress in the United States has rebounded.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of June 1, all of the top 18 corn-growing states have planted more than 80 percent of their acres, with 13 of the 18 states at more than 90 percent. Currently, 95 percent of total U.S. corn planting is complete. The turnaround is due to modern technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican farmers, with the capabilities we have these days, can plant a lot of corn in a hurry,\u201d said Nebraska farmer Dave Nielsen.<\/p>\n
The improving weather has been a welcome reprieve for farmers in most of these states, as many were able to just meet their insurance deadlines. For most, final planting dates range from the end of May to the middle of June, after which farmers face reductions in their insurance coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the springtime when it\u2019s cold, that\u2019s the least important growing time for corn,\u201d stated Paul Jeschke, a farmer from Mazon, Ill., \u201cThe summer weather is the big factor. A warmer June, July or August could put us on schedule for a normal harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n
As warmer weather rolled around, U.S. farmers pushed to recover from the late start, and got on track for a robust 2014 corn crop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Through April and early May, the United States saw planting delays in major corn-growing states because of a cool, wet spring. Fortunately, farmers have made up for lost time thanks to warmer weather over the last few weeks, and are now on pace with the five-year average. While a few of the northernmost states struggled … <\/p>\n