Corn Farmers Make Planting Gains But Progress Remains Slow

Apr 28, 2015

U.S. corn farmers made significant planting progress this week according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With 19 percent of total corn acres planted by April 26, growers progress increased by 10 points over the week but still fell further behind the five-year average.

Corn Farmers Make Planting Gains But Progress Remains Slow

"While farmers are planting during any windows that they see open, the weather continues to hinder overall progress," said National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling. "It is important to keep in mind that early progress is not a concrete indicator of what we will find at harvest though. Last year, corn planting started off even more slowly, and we harvested a record corn crop in the fall. Many opportunities and obstacles still lies ahead as a long growing season has only just entered growers' horizons."

Progress lagged the five-year average by six points this week, up two points from one week prior. Planting lagged 43 points behind the five-year average in Tennessee, the widest margin seen this week, with more than 20-point lags in Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky also.

This week also marked the first report on corn emergence issued by USDA for this crop year.

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Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.