Planting Weather Forecast

[marketeye]

It's not far away. The weather outlook for this spring's planting season is looking wet for the South, normal for Midwest, according to MDA Weather folks. In their own words:

"The latest ENSO projections keep around a weak El Nino, through most of summer and into early next fall. However, there is considerable model spread once we get to summer, with some models taking us down to near a 0 anomaly.
The biggest risks this spring, I think, will be the likelihood of a cool, wet spring in the Delta and Southeast which may delay plantings there.
All indications are that the northern Plains and Midwest should begin to trend more towards normal by early April."

What do you all think? What are your weather sources, locally or regionally, saying about your planting window?

Mike

[FARM4FOOD]

Weather can change in a hurry but from where sit today looks like last spring ....and that means late spring no more 98 day corn here going to 88 if I plant any at all...and 2.0 beans

[nwobcw]

it's going to be late wet and cold here on the shores of Lake Erie with the lake 96% froze over ice is two feet thick

[BA Deere]

Wet has become the new "normal" in this part of the midwest for spring, it seems either you plant at what you feel is too early and too cold in the middle of April or you miss the window and have to mud it in in the end of May.  I like to see a "drier than normal" spring forecast to have what used to have been a "normal" forecast.  🙂  We have had our dry hot weather in August which hurts bean yields. Those big rain events in May of +3" ...one we can handle, but it seems once the pump is primed we get one after the other.   

[lsc76cat]

Here in the Mankato area of SCMN we've been on the cold & dry side of the jet stream.

We got about 3" of snow today from an Alberta clipper to cover our mostly bare ground.

We had just enough moisture last fall to keep the tile running in spots where it has a long run to the outlet.

Plenty of frost in the ground now so it will take some warm weather and rain to help bring it out.

[Shaggy98]

I'm from Kansas, if I don't like the forecast I'll just wait till tomorrow or switch stations.

[nwobcw]

that's what happens here in the Great Lakes area wait 5 minutes and it'll change

[Hobbyfarmer]

Change used to be the norm here too. But the last decade the weather seems to get stuck in a rut.

[Wind]

30 days from now we will know a lot more.  In 2012 we planted sweetcorn March 1-harvest first ears on June 16.  Not going to happen this year.  On that year planted field corn the first week in April- harvested some of that late Aug.  We could still have normal planting  if  the weather turns warm in mid March and that could happen.

The weather is a very important "in-put" to growing crops-  but out of our control. We have to take what is dealt to us and learn to work with it.  Had a neighbor that was good at that.  If wet- he knew what fields where dry and would start there, if dry-time to plant-rainy forecast- he would plant the low ground first, kind of a guy that when "the iron was hot" he  would strike it.  Anyway, 13*-NE wind at 22MPH -5* wind chill. Burning about 17,  5 gal buckets  of corn a week to keep warm. Still cheaper than LP.

[wcmifarmer]

Last year we saw the last snowbank disappear may 1st. Had a cold wet spring followed by a dry end of July 1st of August. As of right now the weather seems to be on track for the same start to spring.... it's hard to get excited about planting right now. Its only 5 degrees out and there is 2-3 feet of snow-pack.