U.S. Midwest Floods Delay Planting

Apr 22, 2013

Rain triggered floods postpone corn planting after drought

Much of the U.S. Midwest is experiencing floods, which was spurred by heavy rains last week and a forecast predicating rain into Tuesday. These rains are causing farmers to delay corn planting. The largest corn-growing states, Iowa and Illinois, are under flood warnings along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

The April 17 and 18th rain storms dropped 5.4 inches in Chicago and about 6 inches in eastern Iowa which triggered floods further south. The rain flooding is impacting farmers who are still recovering from last year’s drought. The drought was deemed the worst drought in 50 years, which caused damage to crops.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that corn planting in the two largest producing states was 2% complete as of April 14, which is behind last year’s pace of 16%. The cold, rainy weather is reducing the sum of corn acreage that would have otherwise been planted, which will likely increase the sum of acreage soybeans to be planted – since soybeans can be sown later than corn.

Video: Farmers: Stop Letting Risk Steal Your Profit — These New Insurance Tools Change the Game

Volatile markets. Unpredictable weather. Tight margins. Farming has never carried more risk—but now, you have smarter ways to protect your operation.
In this interview, Chris Corbett, Sales Manager at AGi3, breaks down a new generation of insurance solutions built specifically for today’s farm businesses: ForwardProtect — Protect your grain operation from the double hit of yield shortfalls and rising prices when forward contracts can’t be filled.
AgriEnhance — Take control of your crop risk plan with flexible yield coverage and whole-farm revenue protection tailored to your operation.
FarmElevate — A modern approach to farm insurance, combining deep ag expertise with advanced technology to protect your property, equipment, and liability.
These aren’t traditional policies—they’re strategic tools designed to protect your margins, stabilize cash flow, and give you confidence in uncertain markets.
If you’re serious about managing risk and protecting your bottom line, this is a must-watch.