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Warmer weather brings hope back to planting season

An ag researcher says while planting is behind in the Eastern Corn Belt, the recent cool temperatures may help slow down disease and pest pressures.

Mark Seamon with the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee tells Brownfield slow emergence and cooler weather could be beneficial for fields with standing water.  “Where we have water logged soils—those diseases aren’t so quick to come in and cause problems.  Where we have even water ponding—because that plant’s not trying to grow so actively—it can give that crop a little bit better chance to survive those tough conditions.”

Seamon says this week’s warm up has brought hope back to the planting season.  “The weather forecast finally looks better than it has in several weeks, so hopefully we get some warmer soil temperatures and we get things to dry out so that we don’t cause so much compaction and planting issues.”

Corn planting in the weekly crop report was 27 percent behind in Michigan, 20 percent behind in Ohio and 16 percent behind in Indiana. Soybean planting is 16 percent behind in Indiana and 14 percent behind in Michigan and Ohio.

AUDIO: Interview with Mark Seamon