Illinois soil was saturated enough to stop farmers from planting corn crops last week. The saturation of the soil is due to high precipitation levels in the past few weeks, according to a United States Department of Agriculture report.

The report said statewide precipitation was 3.15 inches above normal.

Statewide topsoil is at a 65 percent surplus, meaning only 35 percent of the soil in the state is suitable for growing crops. A surplus in soil moisture means the soil is too wet for crops to properly develop, said Greg Gholson, agricultural statistician at the USDA Illinois Field Office.

The USDA defines topsoil as the first six inches of soil and the subsoil is everything below. Gholson said the top two to three inches of soil are used for planting, and crops need topsoil moisture to “get started, but they need the subsoil moisture later on.”

Champaign farmer John Reifsteck said he had a small window where he could have planted corn, but high soil moisture as well as cool soil temperatures contributed to the delay in planting it.

At this time last year, Reifsteck was done planting both corn and soybeans, but he said predicting the yield for crops is difficult at any time because “you never know when you’re going to have conditions correct to plant.”

According to data gathered by the Illinois Climate Network station in Champaign, soil temperatures in March this year were 18 degrees lower than in March 2012.

“That’s just not good conditions for planting corn,” Reifsteck said.

Dr. Jim Angel, Illinois State climatologist, said corn yields would not be impacted unless planting is delayed beyond mid-May.

“In reality, the most important thing is what happens after the crop is planted,” Angel said. “Good weather for the rest of the growing season will trump a late planting date.”

Angel also said soybeans still generally produce a successful yield even if they are planted late.

Reifsteck said he hasn’t had the best success with corn in the last few years and will be “moving back to a more normal rotation of soybeans and corn.” Corn requires certain soil and weather conditions to produce a substantial yield, while soybeans don’t have such strict growing schedules and conditions.

The deadline for the prime time to plant corn is quickly approaching, but Reifsteck and other farmers aren’t out of time yet. Many have planned ahead by utilizing crop insurance.

Jake Taylor, junior in ACES, helps manage his family’s farm northeast of Champaign-Urbana. The farm lies on the Illinois-Indiana border and has a different type of soil than Reifsteck’s farm. Taylor said the sandy soil on his farm isn’t draining well from the abundance of rain, either, and the cool, wet weather has delayed planting for him as well.

“I don’t see it being a problem yet, but we’re getting a little anxious; we would like to get them (the crops) in (the ground),” Taylor said.

Despite the anxiety, Taylor said he is happy to see rain this year, compared with last year’s severe statewide drought.

“Technically, the entire state is out of a drought now,” Taylor said. “We have some soil moisture and can actually see soil holding together. Everything is in a better state than it was.”

Taylor is careful not to plant crops until the first date allowed by his crop insurance, because if he waits until that date and the crops do not turn out well, he and his family can collect money from the crop insurance to fund a replanting of the crops.

Reifsteck, whose household income is primarily from farming, said crop insurance was “a godsend” to many farmers during last year’s drought.

“It assured there’d be money to pay the bills,” Reifsteck said.

Although last year’s crops were planted early, the lack of rain throughout the growing season dramatically decreased crop yields. Crop yields could be affected in similar ways if the excess rain continues this year.

Janelle can be reached at [email protected].