Source: NCDA&CS, 4/8/21


With a long, wet winter and now Easter behind us, field work and land preparation for the 2021 crop is in full swing. With the soils drying out over the past week, many acres have been tilled and/or burndown herbicides have been applied to row crop acres. There are still low-lying and/or poorly drained areas of fields that still require drying before field prep can begin. Below are crop updates from each of the state’s 13 agronomic field services regions.

The NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division regional agronomists provide on-site consulting services to help growers. For more information on NCDA&CS Agronomic Field Services visit https://www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/rahome.htm.

Region 1: (report provided by Carter Askew, former Region 1 agronomist)
Counties include: Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank and Perquimans
• All potatoes planted.
• Corn planting started earlier this week.
• Some soybeans getting planted near Pasquotank
• Small grains rebounded over the past couple of weeks and it looks like there might be a half-way decent crop.

Region 2 – report provided by Carla Pugh
Counties include: Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Martin, Pamlico, Tyrrell and Washington
• Small Grains: Wheat started off slow this winter due to heavy rains but in the past month it has turned around and it’s looking better and filling out.
• Strawberries: Strawberries seem to be a couple of weeks late this year due to cool winter rains, we should be getting the first fruit off in the next week.
• Potatoes: All potatoes, chipping and table stock, have been planted and the small pockets of rain are helping them to get started.
• Tobacco: Tobacco greenhouses are looking good, but we are starting to see a few diseases.
• Soybeans and Corn: Farmers in the Blacklands have started planting group 3 soybeans and corn.

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