Julie Ingwersen and Mark Weinraub

CHICAGO, (Reuters) – U.S. farmers have had a slow start to their corn plantings this year. Many farmers will be out of work for the next few weeks due to the forecast showing rains and cold temperatures in the Mississippi River Delta and southern Midwest.

For the U.S. to fill the shortage caused by Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, this year is crucial. The fighting has made it impossible for farmers to plant and left them with no grain to go around.

Sterling Smith, AgriSompo North America’s director of agricultural research said that it is crucial to produce the maximum amount of crop possible in order for prices to remain stable. Perfect weather is what we need right now.

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures are up 17.5% after Russia invades. The most active contract is nearing its 10-year peak as buyers scramble to find other suppliers.

The International Grains Council lowered its projections for 2022/23 worldwide corn production by 13,000,000 tonnes, to 1.197 billion, on Thursday. Ukraine is fifth largest corn producer in the world, harvesting 41.9million tonnes by 2021.

U.S. Agriculture Department reported that only 4% had been seeded in the U.S. as of April 17th, down three percentage points from the previous year and less than the average five-year rate of 6%. The U.S. Agriculture Department said that farmers in the major states of production, such as North Dakota, Illinois and Indiana, had not yet seeded corn. [US/COR]

David Streit (a Commodity Weather Group meteorologist) said, “This spring has had difficulty getting started.”

This weekend was expected to bring more rain for the Midwest’s southern regions, where many farmers already have their planters. Streit said that colder temperatures will return the following a short warm-up.

U.S. farmers want to finish their corn seeding by May mid-May. This is because the yield potential for their crops can drop by roughly a bushel an acre each day they plant beyond that date.