Young: Spring planting progressing well

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Spring planting is going well in most areas of Van Wert County, but, as usual, there are always concerns about the weather and its effect on crops.

Curtis Young, county agriculture educator for the Ohio State University Extension Service, said Friday that he had traveled extensively around the county on Wednesday and Thursday to check on crop planting, and was pleased with the progress so far.

“It’s looking very positive in the terms of the amount of field work that has been accomplished, and how many acres have been planted,” Young noted. “The planting season is going great, especially compared to last season.”

Young said planting began in earnest a week ago Friday in Van Wert County, with planting well along by the end of this past week, although some areas that received more rain than most of the county have been delayed a bit.

Last year’s planting season was one many local farmers would like to forget, when excessive rains and flooding washed out crops repeatedly from January through August. 

That doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns this year, when it comes to weather and local crops.

One big concern right now, Young said, is the cold temperatures forecast for Friday night and into the weekend.

With the low temperature overnight Friday in the mid- to high 20s, frost damage could be a factor for some county crops — although less so for the crops now being planted, since most plants haven’t emerged from the soil at this point.

“Most of everything that has been planted so far hasn’t emerged above the soil line, so that may protect (plants and seeds),” Young said, adding that, if rain had also been forecast, the cold water could have damaged seedlings in the ground.

Fortunately, he noted, rain hasn’t been forecast over the weekend, which should be a plus for county farmers.

Two crops could be affected by frost conditions, though, Young added, noting that, while winter wheat and barley have been growing well, they could see some damage from the cold temperatures.

The Extension educator said the biggest concern is that any flag leaves that have already emerged on the wheat plants could be damaged by the frost. The emergence of flag leaves is a critical stage in the development of wheat plants, and damaged flag leaves could eventually affect crop yields.

Young said that it appeared as if many flag leaves had not emerged at this point, which could be a positive for wheat yields if the leaves remain undamaged.

“Of course, there’s always the hope the weather forecast is off by a few degrees, and it doesn’t get as cold as expected,” he said.

Meanwhile, the lack of excessive rains, while a positive for spring planting, could be a harbinger of drought conditions later this year. Young said he checked fields for moisture while he was out earlier this week, and found most fields had plenty of moisture.

He added, though, that moisture content can vary on a field-to-field basis, depending on where the fields are located in the county and an individual farmer’s field management practices. Young noted that, generally, the more the soil is disturbed, the more potential for moisture loss.

“The more you open up the soil, the more moisture you potentially lose quickly,” the OSU Extension educator said, adding that no-till methods, which many county farmers employ, do help conserve moisture in the soil.

Given all the variables, though, Young said county crops are looking pretty good at this point in the season.

“Being where we are on the calendar and looking into the future, we’re doing very well,” he noted.