Are we getting back to normal? Well…
My humble reader, what a difference a year makes. This common catchphrase might serve as the best way to describe the progress of our agriculture community members, aka farmers, this spring. With the better-than-expected warmer weather and, for the most part, drier field conditions, farmers have been able to get a lot done in regards to planting cash grain and forage. How significant the spring planting conditions will be better determined at harvest time, but as of right now; the differences between this year and last year’s progress for farmers would appear to be pretty substantial, or so it would seem.
A quick glimpse around the countryside, my best estimate is 90% of the corn, 88% soybeans, 100% of small grains, and 99% of new-seeding hay has been planted. Taking a closer look at the whole state, from the most recent Wisconsin Crop Progress and Condition report from USDA, as of the week of May 27th Wisconsin is generally three days ahead of last year, and two days ahead of the five-year average, when we look at field prep, crops planted, and emergence. Around this time last year, 78% of the corn was planted, but this year it is 85%. One of the crops that Wisconsin was on pace for the same as last year was oats/spring small grains; with practically the same percentage planted (90% vs. 89%) and the same rate emergence (68% vs. 67%).
An obvious reason for the faster pace this year was the difference in weather compared to last year. Rain events were frequent last year, as we all remember, but it was to a far greater extent than we realized. To compare and contrast the precipitation, soil moisture, and GDD (Growing Degree Days) we are going to look at the data collected at the UW-Marshfield Research station in Stratford. The month of May this year recorded 1.62 inches of precipitation. That is 109% less than what occurred last May (5.51 inches). Soil moisture is also lower compared to last year. At 2 in. depth the soil moisture averaged 43% and 38% at 4 in. depth in May, which is still fairly high, but around 18% lower than last year. With the relatively drier conditions, tillage and planting could be initiated more predictability, and consistently.
Even though there is less rainfall than last year, this still wouldn’t be considered a ‘normal’ year. In fact, we see some common characteristics with last year. The rainfall for the month of May is very behind the 30year average by a little over 2 inches (3.67 in). So technically we are on the ‘drier’ side in our part of the state. The Crop Progress report shows statistically the same progression of emergence/condition on corn, soybeans, oats, wheat, and hay to last year, despite having more acres planted sooner/ faster this year. One explanation of this could be the fewer growing degree days (GDD) seen this May. May had 270.35 GDDs, compared to last year which had 283.65 GDD. These are both below the 30year average mark of 317.28. It seems even though farmers gained 3 days for planting, the same amount of time (if not more) has been lost for sunny days and warmer temperatures. Certainly, we have had plenty of days to get sun burned, but we have seen weeks of cooler temperatures. This is evident looking at the average soil temperatures this May (55 degrees F @ 4 in.), which only differed by 1 degree to last year (54 degrees F @ 4 in.).
It is undeniable to not recognize the quickened pace this planting season saw, where weather openings free of rain were available for weeks, allowing farmers to get more manure, fertilizer, field prepping, and planting done in a timely fashion. No till applications were also fantastic with lower moisture in the soil, which created better closure of the seed trench. However, this season has presented its own set of curveballs that may or may not prove to be another challenging year. The prolonged cooling days slowed the rate of growth for forage grasses in hay fields, presenting lower than usual yields. There has also been issues with some of the winter small grains, such as winter rye or winter wheat, that were planted in October and November. The younger seedlings coming into spring suffered more from the cooler, wet weeks in May than stands that were planted in September.
It isn’t quite the normal year that we all hoped for, but the season is early and a lot can happen between now and later this summer. We will have to wait to see if the timely plantings can benefit more from some more sunny, warmer days ahead of us.
THE SOIL
SOUNDOFF
BY
MATT OEHMICHEN AGRONOMIST
