Corn planting 37 percent below last year

Nine percent of the corn is in the ground in the top-18-corn-producing states, according to the USDA’s crop progress report released today. Half of the states have yet to begin planting or fall under the national average.

North Carolina (71 percent), Tennessee (34 percent) and Texas (66 percent) lead the states in corn planting.  Kansas (29 percent) was the only state to report an increase when compare to their state’s five-year average. Illinois (10 percent), Indiana (2 percent), Iowa (3 percent), Michigan (1 percent), Minnesota (0 percent), North Dakota (0 percent), Ohio (1 percent), Pennsylvania (1 percent), South Dakota (0 percent) and Wisconsin (0 percent) showed less than one-percent improvement from last week.

When compared to their state’s progress report from last year, Colorado and Texas showed an increase of 3 and 5 percent, respectively. Percentages in Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Minnesota dropped by at least 50 percent from the 2010 report -- the biggest difference noted.

Nationally, states are 37 percent behind last year’s report.

(Source: http://www.dairyherd.com/dairy-news/latest/Corn-planting-37-percent-below-last-year-120653534.html)