Many farmers were able to get a good start with planting this week, according to Greg Matli, Indiana State Statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The week started with warm and dry weather, creating ideal soil conditions. Later, there were spotty showers that didn’t yield much rain but cooler temperatures were cause for some concern. Average temperatures were 59.3 degrees, 5.1 degrees above normal for the state. The amounts of rainfall varied from 0.00 to 4.25 inches over the week. There were 4.1 days available for fieldwork for the week ending April 23.
Regionally, corn was 7% planted in the North, 15% in Central, and 34% in the South. By region, winter wheat jointed was 29% in the North, 43% in Central, and 78% in the South. Winter wheat was reported on average in good to excellent conditions. Wheat headed is ahead of last year and the five year average. Soybean planting has also started and mint planting is nearing completion. Weather had slowed planting in some areas but progress continued. Pastures and livestock were reported on average to be in good condition. Other activities for the week included spraying burndown and other herbicides, application of dry fertilizers, indoor activities, delivery of stored grain to market and visiting FSA offices.
Soil Moisture