With below-average rainfall and above-normal temperatures through the first three weeks of April, farmers have been working on a daily basis to prepare acreage for planting.
Mother Nature seemed to be playing catch-up this weekend in regard to rainfall, but her delays allowed local farmers to get a head-start on preparations for spring planting, with some crops already in the ground.
Although there is some risk in planting crops in April, the advantages outweigh the risk of a late frost.
Gary Horner, with the Miami County Purdue Extension office, said for corn that is already planted, the risk from a frost is not as great because most of the early growth is below the soil.
“For soybeans, the risk decreases with every day,” he said. “You don’t want a frost with beans. The potential upside from a longer growing season outweighs the risk of a late frost.”
Horner said, for farmers, it is better to get the crops planted.
“We have had almost two weeks of ideal weather,” he said. “There has been a lot of progress made. The soil right now is dry and even with a little rain, conditions will still be ideal.”
Horner said the longer the crops have to develop and grow, the greater potential for a good harvest in the fall.
“We’re off to a really good start,” he said.
Howard County farmer Dick Miller said Friday he has completed planting both corn and soybeans.
“This is probably the earliest we have ever completed planting,” he said. “There have been times the corn had been planted and not the beans.”
Miller said there is always a risk, but history has shown that farmers should plant when the conditions are favorable.
“Wonderful conditions for planting,” he said of the weather recently.
Miller said he planted about a quarter-inch deeper than normal to make sure the seed was in moist soil and will take a few days longer to break the surface.
John Woodmansee, with the Grant County Purdue Extension, said it is unusual to have so many days in early April with little or no rainfall.
He said farmers have been applying fertilizers and in some cases are planting crops.
“There can be a certain risk to planting early,” Woodmansee said. “It will depend on the timing and the severity of any frost we may get.”
Woodmansee said the lack of rain and warm temperatures in early April were an advantage for local farmers.
The Indiana State Police are cautioning motorists to be aware that slow-moving farm equipment will be on the road, and drivers should be prepared to slow or stop to avoid a collision with a farm machinery turning into a field or driveway.
• Ken de la Bastide is the Kokomo Tribune enterprise editor. He can be reached at 765-454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
