Best Short Term Planting Window Opening Now

Planting-window-opening

In the new Indiana planting forecast the near-term opportunities look good for field work but there appear to be interruptions in the extended outlook. HAT Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin also says possible interruptions today hinge on a cold front sweeping across the state.

“It doesn’t have a lot of moisture with it but it has some,” Martin says. “At this point I like a quarter of an inch or less over northern Indiana. Coverage is gonna be about 70% there. If you are in southern Indiana I think you skip out on this, I think you miss out which is probably going to be just fine, but we are going to be seeing this front also bring cooler air in. Soil temperatures rose quite a bit here the past few days, much cooler air comes in behind this front. If we get this moisture to miss most of the area we should be able to see field work continue in spite of the cool temperatures, but up north we might be looking at a day, day and a half delay if the rain falls like it’s possible.”

Martin says the weekend begins a nice planting window even though it will be chilly to start with temperatures sub-freezing in northern Indiana Saturday morning.

“But I have a dry forecast window in here for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Now we’ve got a very powerful frontal complex that’s going to be working across the Corn Belt next week, but I think the heaviest rains here hold off until Thursday. We will see clouds increase on Wednesday. You might have to digest a spit or a sprinkle especially far north and west, but most of us are not seeing anything till Thursday.”

The rains moving in Thursday could drop a half inch to 1 ½ inches statewide, but southern Indiana moisture will linger.

“As a matter fact to get to the upper end of the range on Thursday it’s going to take some thunderstorms. Those look to be the strongest in central and southern Indiana, and then moisture is slow to leave from I70 southward. I think we could see a rain go all the way through Friday. If it does in southern Indiana like that we’re probably going to add another half to ¾ of an inch to our rain totals there.”

Martin has rain popping up again May 7th, 9th, and 12th, so this dry window starting this weekend will be the longest available through mid-May.

The weekly planting forecast update is made possible by Kokomo Grain and First Farmers Bank and Trust, Proudly Serving Local Farmers.

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