CHICAGO, April 28 (Reuters) – The pace of U.S. corn planting remained behind normal as of Sunday despite a week of mild weather that spurred the season’s most active field work to date, according to government weekly crop progress data on Monday.
U.S. farmers have planted 19 percent of their 2014 corn crop as of April 27, behind the five-year average of 28 percent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its third crop progress report of the season.
Analysts polled by Reuters ahead of the closely watched report expected corn, on average, to be 21 percent seeded.
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Rainy weather over the weekend halted planting activity in much of the Midwest, but the precipitation will help recently planted corn germinate and grow. It would also give the yet-to-be-planted crop an early season boost, provided farmers are able to plant it.
“We need the weather to start cooperating, but it looks like we’re going to remain on the moist side for much of the week,” said Shawn McCambridge, a grains analyst with Jefferies Bache in Chicago.
“We can still make up for lost time, but we need that break in the weather. However, once this crop does get planted, it’s certainly going to have enough moisture to support germination and early crop development,” he said.
Weekend rains in the Corn Belt favored southern Minnesota, Iowa, western Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, with 0.25 to 1.5 inches of rainfall, locally 2.75 inches, with 70 percent coverage for the soybean and Corn Belt, according to MDA Weather Service.
More rains of similar amounts, with 90 percent coverage, were forecast for the eastern Corn Belt through Wednesday, which will stall planting, said Don Keeney, meteorologist at MDA Weather Services.
Corn in top producer Iowa was just 15 percent planted as of Sunday, well behind the average of 33 percent. But corn in No. 2 corn state Illinois was 32 percent planted, just a percentage point off of the average pace.
USDA also reported that 3 percent of the U.S. soybean crop was planted as of Sunday, matching the average analyst forecast but just short of the 4 percent five-year average.
Soy planting was 55 percent complete in Louisiana as of Sunday, 19 points ahead of the five-year average. But Mississippi soy was only 24 percent planted, below the 38-percent average pace. Soybean seeding has not started in top producer Iowa, but was 2 percent complete in No. 2 grower Illinois, USDA data showed.
