Floodwaters on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers may be going down, but rain has continued to soak farmland around much of the state. More rain could be on the way later this month.Wet fields make it hard to plant because farmers use large, heavy machinery in the fields. Even if a field is dry enough for equipment not to get stuck, too much pressure on wet soil makes it hard for seedlings to develop solid root systems.
鈥淲ithout good root development, there isn鈥檛 anything to feed the plant, and if we鈥檙e not feeding the plant, we don鈥檛 get much back in yields,鈥� said Steve Fourez, a farmer in Vermillion County, Illinois.
Fourez, a board member for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said he has about 500 acres where he farms corn and soybeans. This time last year, he had it all planted. This year, it鈥檚 been too wet to even start.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been marginal at best, and you only get one chance to get the crop out. And I鈥檇 really rather not mess it up before it ever gets the chance to start,鈥� he said.
Fourez said it鈥檒l take him about 10 days if the 鈥渕echanical goblins鈥� and weather cooperate.
A year for the record books
This year has had the 鈥渢hird wettest May to April period in 124 years of records for the state,鈥� said Brian Kerschner, the spokesman for the Illinois State Climatologist office.
The soil is so wet, Kerschner explained, that the moisture levels are in the 90th to 99th percentile statewide.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e approaching the 99th or 100th percentile, it鈥檚 basically some of the wettest soil that we鈥檝e seen in the state,鈥� he said.
The wet soil and delayed planting could mean farmers don鈥檛 get as high of yields. That鈥檚 a big deal when farmers already face amid the trade war with China, and crop prices that are lower than they鈥檝e been in a decade.
The cost of planting late
Most farmers try to get corn into the ground by mid to late May, which gives the crop time to produce the most it can. Fourez said he鈥檚 ok planting soybeans a bit later into June, but that still doesn鈥檛 give producers much time to get seeds in the ground.
Fourez said this delayed planting season will have economic impacts in rural areas, which haven鈥檛 fully recovered from the 2008 recession.鈥淲hen we start tightening our belts, the rural economy in Illinois has to take a deep breath, because that鈥檚 where most of the revenue that floats around in rural Illinois comes from,鈥� he said.
Some farmers are getting antsy, so they鈥檙e going out in the fields to plant even though the ground is still wet. Jared Kunkle planted a bit earlier than most, getting a lot of his crops in before Easter in late April.
鈥淭he people who waited, that鈥檚 their choice and their decision, and they might have made the right decision at the time. They might not have. Same with me,鈥� Kunkle said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e doing it, too, you don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 the right decision or not.鈥�
Kunkle farms about 2,000 acres in Warren County, Illinois, and he has all but about 40 acres of corn planted and half his soybeans in the ground. He expects he鈥檒l have to replant seeds in some areas, but he says he feels a lot better than having nothing planted at all.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥檚 crop progress reports, about 11% of Illinois corn has been planted and about 4% of soybeans. Last year at this time, 88% of corn and 56% of soybeans were in the ground.
Cool temperatures aheadKerschner said the weather this week should be a bit dryer, which is a blessing to farmers hoping to get seeds in the ground. However, he said temperatures are expected to remain low, which won鈥檛 help dry out fields.
And then, 鈥渨e are looking to re-enter an active weather pattern to end May,鈥� he said. In other words: more rain could be on the way.
When planters do hit the fields, Kunkle said farmers will be working long days. Drivers may have to be patient as farm equipment makes its way down the road.
He hopes farmers stay safe, too, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 going to be wild when people get back in...I can鈥檛 imagine if I didn鈥檛 have anything in. It would be extremely stressful.鈥�
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