From the Fields: Thirsty for water

We hoped to start planting in the last couple weeks of April, but planting 2024 was nowhere near as smooth as we had hoped for once fields were fertilized with preparations for spring planting.

We began planting soybeans on May 2 and finished with corn on June 1. Due to excessive soil moisture and the sluggish soil temperatures, we started planting the fields that were conventional and minimum tilled first, since the no-till soils were slow to warm up. But as planting progress pressed on, the corn and soybean slowly emerged.

We have seen this scenario before where we jump from one predicament to another. In late April and early May, northern Indiana was challenged with cold and wet soil conditions as planting progressed at turtle speeds, and now we are paying the price with triple-digit heat indexes as corn plants are rolling up and thirsty for water as we pray for the next passing rain cloud.

Moisture in the topsoil and subsoil was plentiful up until the first of June, so time will tell if the corn and soybean plants root down looking for water as we encounter drought conditions.