AgPoll: Soil moisture situation

[John_Walter]

Spent a little time rounding up a few spring planting & growing season forecasts. Highly variable outlook depending on where you live, of course: Doubts hang over drought relief (click here). Thoughts? 

[Shaggy98]

We did receive decent moisture in February, but our drought is far from over.

[too close for comfort]

We've had decent moisture here in sc Wis. but it is still sitting on top of the ground. Hopefully the frost will come out slowly and it will soak in but it doesn't usually happen that way.

[c-x-1]

too close,

 What would you say IS the average amount of snow that runs off or sublimates before it has chance to soak in? (half, third, etc?) in any given year.

thanks,

c-x-1

[Nebrfarmr]

We had about an inch of moisture in the last month.

To give an idea how dry it still is:

We got just under 2 inches total moisture from the time we finished planting, until we finished harvest, with no single rain being over a half inch.

Since harvest, we got about another 2 inches, with the last inch in the last 30 days.   Ground was/is still frozen, but there are enough cracks in the ground, it will all go down, for what it's worth.

4 inches total moisture, since the first week in May. 
And I keep getting articles on how to manage things, post drought.   I think I'll wait for the drought to end, before I worry too much about that.

[c-x-1]

with the lack of subsoil in half of the belt, how some of these folks are coming up with 13b possible production is beyond me.

IL, IN had only 100-110 bpa WITH subsoil last year. LAST year was NO comparison to this year's SUBSOIL coming into March. What happens if we get a little less heat and a little more rain THIS year? Will it be enough to have a BETTER yield than last yr?

March 6, 2012 vs. March 5, 2013

[idalivered]

CX1 in north iowa, we currently have about 3 feet of frozen soil.(i'm told) I'd guess a very small amount of our snow cover will soak in. We are due for 1/2-1 inch of rain this weekend. That will  cause rapid snow melt, but will also result in the moistur running to low lying areas rather than soaking in. That is very common here in any spring. Usually our soil "recharge" comes in april. It is a rare april in iowa that we don't get significant rain. We got room for it, tho.

[ECIN]

c-x-1--- here in East Central Indiana , we are in pretty good shape , started raining last Aug. and still is , We had 20 inchs  of snow in Dec. and the ground was not froze and that -- for the most part went down , then throw in a few 3 to 4 inch rains . Calling for 2 to 3 inchs Sunday -- Monday .

Still lot of fert. to be spread here - was to wet last fall and the ground just won't freeze this winter , neighbors were putting in tile last week .

But even with all this mositure , it takes a LONG  time to refill the cup .

[Canuck_2]

Ontario had mixed amounts of rain and drought last year.

Some got good moisture and others were really dried out.

We were dry enough to cut yields to 90% of average, not far from me their yields dropped to 50-60% as they missed a shower or two that we got.

So working at syrup and I notice the wet holes in the woodlot do not have water in them like they normally do.

Some show signs of having had water with an ice top that has collapsed as the water drained out from underneath. These would normally have water in them.

Have to think we do not have the normal reserve in our soil.

[c-x-1]

Thx for the info on soak in/runoff guys.

sounds like the East and West divide remains

ECIN, i know y'all are pretty good & so is IL - just like last yr, then look how it turned out.

that is what concerns me with these early predictions of a fairly good yr.

if US has a similar summer this yr....like to see the guru statisticians run those #'s