Completion of the 2008 corn planting season throughout Indiana remains a distant light at the end of a wet tunnel.

Planting progress as of 18 May was reported to be 68% complete statewide, but only 37% complete throughout southern Indiana (USDA-NASS, 19 May). Reports are coming in that some of the earlier planted corn is being replanted or may require so in the near future because of unacceptable stand establishment due to damage from soggy soils, soil-borne insect damage, or seedling blight damage. Obviously, the calendar continues to move on or, in the memorable words of John Wayne, “we’re burnin’ daylight”.

Slow drying soils due to cool weather plus additional rainfall that spread throughout much of the state on Friday probably translate to little significant planting progress since the 18 May estimate. While we know from experience that much of the remaining corn acres could be planted in a week’s worth of good working days, the upshot is that quite a few acres will either be planted very late or those acres will be switched over to soybeans.

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