Cold, wet weather has kept many farmers across the state from already starting their spring planting. But, Fort Wayne farmer Don Wyss tells Hoosier Ag Today he’s hoping to get seeds in the ground starting next week.
“The struggle here during an Indiana spring in Northeast Indiana is real, says Wyss, a corn and soybean producer from Allen County. He’s also a member of the Executive Committee for the United Soybean Board and has served on the Allen County Council since he was first elected in 2022.
“We’re ready and have the equipment all hooked up ready to go out the door like a lot of the farmers in this area,” says Wyss. “But, at this point, we will likely be planting starting next week depending on what Mother Nature gives us in the line of rain and moisture.”
Wyss says that rain and moisture have already been the first issue this year.
“We had the rivers here in Northeast Indiana out of their banks a few weeks ago, and so the soils are drying out now as we’ve had a few days here with not much moisture. But, we received two-to-three inches—even in some isolated cases, it was higher than three inches—out of that rain event that went through, and so it’s we’re still drying out this way and in a lot of places.”
The second issue facing Indiana farmers has been the cooler temperatures.
“We’re watching that because we have cover crops on our farm and we’re looking for active growth before we try to terminate those here to get ready for planting,” says Wyss. “With these cool nights, soil temperatures have been in the mid 40-degree range, according to what we’ve seen so far.”
What advice does Wyss have for corn and soybean producers across the state as they prepare for another planting season?
“When we look at the calendar, it’s still early yet. We can do a good job and we’ve had to work through some wet Springs in this area of the state the last couple of years,” he says. “In the end, we’ve had overall average to above average yields, so today’s equipment is set up to take advantage of the window of opportunity when it’s presented, so just wait for that soil to get into the right condition and then, have at it.”
According to USDA, there have only been 1.5 days suitable for field work so far as of Sunday, April 13.
CLICK BELOW for Hoosier Ag Today’s full conversation with Fort Wayne farmer Don Wyss.
