Crop Insurance Today June 2018 - 8

Cooler than normal temperatures and dry
weather dominated in May for most of the
Cornbelt. By the middle of the month, 71 percent of the corn crop had been planted, slightly
ahead of the five-year average. Cotton plantings
continued at a pace only slightly below the fiveyear average with 33 percent of the crop in the
ground. By the end of the month (week 21), 67
percent of the soybean crop had been planted,
only 1 percent behind the five-year average.
At the same time, spring wheat plantings had
accelerated from their slow start with 96 percent of the crop seeded, 5 percent ahead of the
five-year average. By May 28, 67 percent of the
Nation's soybean crop was planted, 4 percentage
points behind the previous year and slightly behind the five-year average.
The planting of the Nation's corn crop was
completed in early June, with 96 percent of the
crop in place by June 4, only 1 percent behind
the five-year average. Soybean plantings wrapped
up by the middle of the month slightly ahead of
the five-year average pace. And by the end of the
month the Nation's cotton crop had been planted
only 1 percent behind the five-year average for
the end of June.
At the end of the planting season, the USDA
reported 319.1 million acres planted to principal
crops down slightly from 2016. Favorable soybean prices relative to corn and other grains contributed to record plantings of 90.1 million acres,
up 8 percent from 2016. As soybeans compete
with corn in many areas of the country, the planted area for corn declined 4 percent from 2016
to 90.2 million acres. Reduction in 2017 planted
acreage for other feed grains was also noticeable.
Sorghum plantings were down 16 percent from
the previous year to 5.63 million acres and the
area planted to barley was down 19 percent from
last year to 2.48 million acres. This was the lowest
acreage planted to barley since records began being kept in 1866. Oat planted acreage was down
8.5 percent from 2016.
For other oilseeds the change in year-to-year
area planted was mixed. Peanuts continued to
trend upward reaching its highest level since
1991, with 1.87 million acres planted, 12 percent
above 2016. Record canola plantings of 2.08 million acres were 21 percent above last year's level.
However, sunflower planted acres declined by 12
percent from 2016, down to 1.4 million acres.
Safflower plantings increased only slightly, 1 per2

Figure 6 Summer 2017 (Jun-Aug)
Statewide Precipitation Ranks, 1895-2017

Record
Driest
(1)

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

Near
Average

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

Record
Wettest
(122)

Source: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps

cent, to just over 143,000 acres while flaxseed
plantings continued to decline, down 19 percent
from the previous year to 303,000 acres.
A 22 percent increase in cotton acreage in
Texas in 2017 contributed to the increase in upland planted area overall, at 12.4 million acres, up
25 percent from 2016. This continues the upward
trend in cotton plantings since the low point of
8.6 million acres in 2015. American Pima cotton
acreage also continued to increase, up 29 percent
from the previous season at 251,500 acres driven
by a rebound in California planted acres.
All wheat planted acreage in 2017 was just
over 46 million acres, down over 8 percent from
2016. Winter wheat plantings, which account
for around 71 percent of all wheat acreage,
declined by more than 9 percent, spring wheat
by almost five percent, and durum by over
4 percent.
Summer 2017: The summer of 2017 will
go down as one of extremes, from hurricanes to
wildfires to continued and worsening drought.
Summer began with higher than average temperatures in the western U.S. For example, in the
Southwest, temperatures were 4°F above normal for the month of June. Below average temperatures were prevalent in the Delta and along
the lower Atlantic Coast. Precipitation varied
from drier than normal west of the Mississippi

contributing to expanding drought levels in the
Great Plains and causing stress for pastures in
Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In
contrast the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy
resulted in excess moisture delaying field work in
Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Areas along
the Gulf Coast recorded more than 15 inches of
rain for the month of June (Figure 6).
Warmer weather continued into July across
most of the United States. The only exception
was cooler temperatures in portions of the Great
Lakes and New England. Rainfall continued to be
plentiful in the Eastern Corn Belt and Mid-Atlantic region while drought conditions continued
to prevail in the upper Missouri Valley and created additional stress on crops in Montana and
the Dakota's.
The warmer conditions began to moderate
in some areas in August. The central and northeastern parts of the country experienced below
average monthly temperatures. Similar below
average temperatures were recorded in the Great
Plains and Mississippi Valley. However, the Western part of the country continued to suffer from
extreme heat. The warmer conditions continued
west of the Rocky Mountains. Wet weather continued as well with the western Corn Belt, southern Plains, and lower Mississippi Valley receiving
above normal rainfall.

USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2017 Summary of Production, January 2018. "Weekly Outlook: Implications of the Prospective Planting Acreage and Grain
Stocks for Corn and Soybeans." farmdoc daily (7):60, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign April 3, 2017.

JUNE2018

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today June 2018