Jun. 5—MITCHELL — Timely spring rains have the growing season off to a strong start in South Dakota.

That’s according to the most recent crop progress report from the United States Department of Agricultural Statistics Service, which indicated last week that most corn and soybeans in South Dakota have been planted with both crops showing signs of emerging.

“Progress has been pretty good for this spring,” said David Klingberg, executive director for the Farm Service Agency offices in Hanson and Davison counties. “Most of our corn is in, and most of our soybeans are in, though there are some exceptions to that rule.”

The USDA crop progress report indicated that 84% of corn in South Dakota had been planted by May 28. That’s down slightly from 84% last year, though it is considerably above the 74% for the five-year average. Of that corn, 44% had emerged, which is also behind the 54% that had emerged at this time last year, but again near the 41% five-year average.

For soybeans, the report said about 58% had been planted across the state. That’s well behind the 74% that had been planted by this time last year, but also near the 57% average. About 17% of those soybeans had emerged by May 28, which is behind both the 29% at this time last year and the 22% five-year average.

While some of those numbers show progress a bit behind last year, it’s an overall indicator of the increased moisture the state has received this spring. That’s led to good top and subsoil levels while simultaneously filling some low spots, making it a bit slower for some to get into the field.

“Some of the guys who would like to be planting, quite a few had to go through some wet spots, and now it might be flooded out because of some of the recent rains we’ve received,” Klingberg said. “But nobody is really complaining about that so far.”

Topsoil moisture supplies are currently rated at about 1% very short, 4% short, 81% adequate and 14% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels are similar, with 1% rated very short, 8% short, 82% adequate and 9% surplus.

That peak at “adequate” in the bell curve is the direct result of timely rains this spring. According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, the Mitchell area is up in precipitation over last year, with precipitation to date this year coming in at 3.06 inches compared to 2.76 inches last year.

That extra quarter-inch is making a big difference, both in area topsoil and subsoil moisture levels, but also in the drought conditions the state has experienced for the last few years. The most recent map from the United States Drought Monitor shows virtually no drought conditions remaining in the state, with pockets of abnormally dry conditions in the northwest and southwest portions of the state. The driest portion of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, is listed as moderate drought and is located in the extreme northwest portion of the state in Harding County.

The rest of the South Dakota map appears white, indicating no drought conditions.

With rains continuing to ease long standing drought conditions, most producers are willing to endure some wet areas in their fields in exchange for good soil and weather conditions this planting season.

“Most guys are pretty happy with how it turned out. There’s no such thing as a perfect year, but this is on the better side of it,” Klingberg said.

With producers edging closer to the end of the planting season, their eyes are now turning to the skies and the extended forecast.

Tim Masters, a technician with the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, said the forecast calls for slightly drier conditions and cooler temperatures over the next two weeks. That should help dry out some fields as the warmer months of July and August get closer. Like in many years past, rainfall has been hit or miss depending on location, with a difference of inches often recorded just a mile or two apart.

“June is usually pretty decent for precipitation, and we don’t really get into the hot and dry stuff until August,” Masters said. “It will feel milder, and it will maybe be a little less stressful on the crops after a two-year drought.”

Winds were expected to pick up around midweek this week, with the strongest expected to top out around 40 miles per hour on Wednesday.

As the summer progresses toward July and August, Masters estimates that there is an equal chance of both above and below average precipitation, though he expected the long range forecast to lean more toward average temperature and rainfall.

“Not real hot, not real dry, but we’ll see how that pans out,” Masters said.

Klingberg also noted that some producers were putting up rye this spring, which does well in wetter conditions like producers are seeing this year.

For the most part, Klingberg said most producers are happy with where they’re at in terms of moisture and could now use a dry spell to get as many acres planted as possible while also handling other yearly tasks that come along at this time of the year.

Weed spraying, haying as well as getting cattle to pasture and handling maintenance chores like repairing fences are chores that usually come along as planting nears completion. The deadline for producers to report their acres to Farm Service Agency offices is also nearing, with the deadline set for July 15.

A long summer growing season is ahead, and just a little dry weather would allow farmers to get ahead of the game and catch up before the hot growing months arrive. After that, the rains are more than welcome to return.

“If it turns hot they’ll want moisture sooner rather than later, but right now we’re happy with the moisture we got and could use a little time in the field,” Klingberg said.