'The nature of the business': Planting season ahead of schedule, but rain slowing it down
Many of Ohio's farmers are ahead of schedule planting crops this spring, thanks to warm temperatures and relatively dry fields.
Fluctuating weather patterns could slow that progress any day though, according to Ben Torrance, a statistician from the Ohio field office of the United States Department of Agriculture.
"That's just the nature of the business," Torrance said.
Farmers so far this year have planted at least twice the number of corn and soybeans they typically would have by now, based on numbers released this week in a USDA crop weather report.
They're also nearly done planting oats, and hope to finish earlier than normal.
USDA stats for Ohio's cash crop progress so far in 2024
The Buckeye State's corn crop was 26% planted by Monday, May 6, the USDA report states. Last year at this time, it was only 11% planted. The five-year average was 12% sown.
More than 8% of the state's corn crop has emerged, which is well ahead of the five-year average of 2% emergence.
Similar progress has been reported with soybeans: this week's progress was 20%, last year's was 15%, and the five-year average was 10%.
Farmers have reported more than 7% of the soybeans have emerged, compared to the five-year average of only 1% emergence.
This year's oat crop has been 76% planted, compared the five-year average of 67%.
Farmers are seeing a 32% oat emergence, the only USDA stat that's behind the five-year average, which was 40%.
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Has Ohio seen its last frost this spring?
Early planting progress has required cooperation from both precipitation levels and soil temperature, according to Kendra Stahl, the Ohio State University Extension agent for Crawford County.
"The average soil temperature, what they say is 50 degrees to plant," Stahl said. "The soil needs to be 50 degrees to start planting."
That temperature was reached early this year, which has allowed corn and soybean seeds to germinate.
Stahl said Extension officers rely on data from Aaron Wilson, OSU's climatologist for Ohio, to determine how late each spring frost might damage crops.
"From what he has said, we are out of the frost days this year," Stahl said.
Rainy forecast slows planting progress statewide
Rainfall totals also have been cooperative for most Ohio farmers so far in 2024.
As of this week, 13.68 inches of rain had fallen since Jan. 1 at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, according to Brian Mitchell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
"Normal is 14.02 inches," Mitchell said. "So we're .34 inches below normal on the year."
Since meteorological spring began March 1, the region has received 8.32 inches of rainfall.
"Normal is 8.27 inches," Mitchell said. "So, plus .05 inches for spring."
The USDA weather report said "light but consistent rain showers have kept the soil wet enough to limit fieldwork in some locations."
Mostly, though, fields statewide were dry enough for many farmers to access them and plant during the early warm spells.
Rains have slowed a lot of that progress. Intermittent storms forecast statewide for eight of the next 10 days could keep progress hindered for a while.
"If we continue to get rain and we don't have any time for stuff to dry off, then it's going to put the rest of the producers who haven't gotten the chance to get into the fields behind compared to everyone else," Stahl said. "So, it depends on what the the weather is doing and how much rain we continue to get without being able to dry up to get back in the field."
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Ohio planting season ahead of schedule; rain will slow farmers down
