The March stain temperature across much of the easterly United States this year are well cooler than they were in 2012 , which brought the hottest or second - hottest March on record to 33 country between the Great Plains and the easterly seaboard . This ice chest start to the growing time of year could make time lag in the first planting of crop , foreshorten grow seasons and fewer circle of crop harvests across the display board .
The average soil temperature for March 2013 are forecasted to read between 5 and 12 degrees F below normal , while last class ’s March temperatures were 5 to 15 degree F above normal , according to Frederick Gesser , senior planetary meteorologist for agriculture at Planalytics . “ The final difference of opinion of 10 to 27 degrees F … will impact all things vegetation : lawn , crop , Tree , et cetera , ” he read .
Even without accept other growing experimental condition , such as rain and land fertility , into account , the cooler grunge will likely think of that crops in the Deep South alone will be developing two to three weeks afterwards this year .
Cornis project to be the crop most pretend by this phenomenon , mainly because the 50 - level soil temperatures it requires to rise are only present half as far northward as they were last yr . “ While I am sure nearly all crops will be touch on by colder land temperature this yr , the master market point is the spread that would exist in the clavus markets , ” Gesser articulate . “ The tightness of the corn whisky market best the other harvest . ”
Gesser notes that soybean prices and accessibility could also see an impact , though the soya bean marketplace is not as slopped as the corn market .
Early last March , the band of 50 - degree soil temperatures stretched as far northwards as the northerly borders of North Carolina , Tennessee , Arkansas and Oklahoma ; however , in the first week of March this year , sufficiently warm grunge could only be found as far northward as the middle of Georgia , Alabama and Mississippi . Because many growers will have to retard their initial clavus seeding , the growing time of year will likely be truncated , potentially with few harvest home in late summer and former fall .
lovesome growing season are n’t needfully a bad thing , but when couple on withdrought , as in 2012 , they can easily go sour .
“ As far as botany perish , [ a tender year ] shows forward-looking or very favorable condition in position for the planting of crop , emergence and vegetal growth , unless you have extreme drought in those growth stages like last year , ” Gesser says .
Unfortunately , at this point , the overall growing - time of year lookout for 2013 is n’t great , either .
“ There is no tinge of an El Niño , which we tie in with a ice chest , bedwetter uprise season , ” Gesser notes . “ Currently , there is no ground not to ask more drought and even expanding upon of the drought both east and west . ”
On the cocksure side , Gesser points out that 2013 ’s natural spring soil temperature are much closer to the annual norm than 2012 ’s were . to boot , he notes that the delay dirt warming could lead to safer growing seasons for fruit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , as they will not be as vulnerable to typical April and May freezes . In 2012 , trees in Michigan , Wisconsin and New York were badly impacted by previous frosts , as the warm grunge caused trees to bloom earlier than look .
