Apr 14, 2020
Early U.S. Corn Planting Slowed by Cold Temps and Wet Soils
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
2020 U.S. corn is 3% planted compared to 3% last year and 4% average. The planting is slightly ahead of schedule in the southern Delta and Texas and slower than normal in the northern Delta and the mid-south. The corn planting is about on schedule in the southeastern U.S.
The corn is 63% planted in Texas (53% average), 32% in Mississippi (62% average), 77% in Georgia (73% average), 28% in North Carolina (22% average), 4% in Missouri (11% average), and 6% in Kansas (10% average).
Corn planting in the Midwest is just getting started and now cold air temperatures and cold soil temperatures will keep planting progress to a minimum this week. Iowa reported 0% planted (1% average), Illinois is 1% (2% average), Nebraska is 0% (1% average), and Indian is 1% (1% average. There are reports of some farmers planting their soybeans before their corn because they are concerned about cold shock on the corn seed. Soybeans are not a susceptible to cold shock as corn.
We need to watch the weather, but I am not too concerned about planting delays, at least not yet. U.S. farmers can plant about half of the corn crop with seven good days of planting. The U.S. corn generally reaches 50% planted between May 7-10.
I am estimating that the 2020 U.S. corn acreage will be in the range of 95 to 96 million acres with the soybean acreage estimated at 85 million acres.