Floodwaters on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers may be going down, but rain has continued to soak farmland around much of the state of Illinois, and more rain could be on the way later this month.
Wet fields make it hard to plant because farmers use large, heavy machinery in the fields. Even if a field is dry enough for equipment not to get stuck, too much pressure on wet soil makes it hard for seedlings to develop solid root systems.
âWithout good root development, there isnât anything to feed the plant, and if weâre not feeding the plant, we donât get much back in yields,â said Steve Fourez, who farms in Vermillion County.
Fourez, a board member for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said he farms corn and soybeans on about 500 acres. This time last year, he had it all planted. This year, itâs been too wet to even start.
âItâs been marginal at best, and you only get one chance to get the crop out. And Iâd really rather not mess it up before it ever gets the chance to start,â he said.
Fourez said itâll take him about 10 days if the âmechanical goblinsâ and weather cooperate.
The cost of planting late
This year has had the âthird wettest May to April period in 124 years of records for the state,â said Brian Kerschner, the spokesman for the Illinois State Climatologist office.
The soil is so wet, Kerschner explained, that the moisture levels are in the 90th to 99th percentile statewide, meaning "itâs basically some of the wettest soil that weâve seen in the state.â
The wet soil and delayed planting could mean farmers donât get as high of yields. Thatâs a big deal when farmers already face amid the trade war with China, and crop prices that are lower than theyâve been in a decade.
Most farmers try to get corn into the ground by mid- to late May, which gives the crop time to produce the most it can. Fourez said heâs OK planting soybeans a bit later into June, but that still doesnât give producers much time to get seeds in the ground.
Fourez said this delayed planting season will have economic impacts in rural areas, which havenât fully recovered from the 2008 recession.
âWhen we start tightening our belts, the rural economy in Illinois has to take a deep breath, because thatâs where most of the revenue that floats around in rural Illinois comes from,â he said.
Some farmers are getting antsy, so theyâre going out in the fields to plant even though the ground is still wet.
Jared Kunkle planted a bit earlier than most, getting a lot of his crops in before Easter in late April.
âThe people who waited, thatâs their choice and their decision, and they might have made the right decision at the time. They might not have. Same with me,â Kunkle said. âWhen youâre doing it, too, you donât know if itâs the right decision or not.â
Kunkle farms about 2,000 acres in Warren County, and has all but about 40 acres of corn planted and half his soybeans in the ground. He expected heâll have to replant seeds in some areas, but he said he feels a lot better than having nothing planted at all.
According to the U.S. Department of Agricultureâs crop progress reports, about 11% of Illinois corn has been planted and about 4% of soybeans. Last year at this time, 88% of corn and 56% of soybeans were in the ground.
Cool temperatures ahead
Kerschner said the weather this week should be a bit drier, which is a blessing to farmers hoping to get seeds in the ground. However, he said, temperatures are expected to remain low, which wonât help dry out fields.
And then, âwe are looking to re-enter an active weather pattern to end May,â he said. In other words: More rain could be on the way.
When planters do hit the fields, Kunkle said farmers will be working long days. Drivers may have to be patient as farm equipment makes its way down the road.
He hopes farmers stay safe, too, âbecause itâs going to be wild when people get back in ... I canât imagine if I didnât have anything in. It would be extremely stressful.â
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