St. Louis, Missouri, USA
May 5, 2014
U.S. corn farmers have planted 29 percent of the 2014 crop as of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported this afternoon. While that is 18 percentage points higher than the same time last year, it is 13 points behind the five-year average of42 percent.
“We’re still feeling the effects of the cold and wet beginning to the spring planting season,” said National Corn Growers Association President Martin Barbre, a grower in southern Illinois who kicked off corn planting on his farm today. “We realize, however, that there is still plenty of time to plant, just as last year’s delayed planting eventually led to a record-breaking harvest come fall.”
Southern and central states continued to see success in planting, while those in the northern Corn Belt were most significantly delayed. North Dakota is the only state of the 18 tracked by USDA where measurable planting has not gotten underway; its average planting completion at this time of year is 19 percent.
USDA also reported that 7 percent of the crop has emerged, compared to 3 percent last year and an average to-date emergence of 13 percent.
Click here for today’s full weekly crop progress report. On Friday, USDA will release its first look at supply-and-demand projections for the crop now being planted.
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