The National Weather Service predicts likely below normal temperatures and near normal to leaning above normal precipitation for May 6-12. Eric Snodgrass of Nutrien Ag Solutions said the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center recorded more tornadoes, hail and wind in April than normal. Their April total precipitation for the Upper Midwest ranked much above normal. Ohio and Indiana had the warmest April on record. He is also thinking the first half of May will be cooler and drier than normal.
The full moon on May 1 is called the flower moon and there is only one blue moon in 2026 which is a blue micromoon on May 31. A micromoon occurs when the full moon happens near apogee which is on June 1. This means the moon is the farthest distance in its elliptical path (orbit) from the Earth.
Cooler temperatures have the advantage of slowing down insect development and feeding, such as overwintering bean leaf beetles, which can devastate an early season soybean field. Although larger soybean plants can compensate for defoliation, heavy infestations can cause yield loss, especially on small plants. Michigan State University’s Chris DiFonzo roughly calculates our cold winter, as measured at the MSU Enviroweather station in Blissfield, may indicate a general predicted bean leaf beetle mortality of about 60%. Early season scouting is harder as beetles are easily disturbed and will hide, but their presence may be an indicator of increasing first- and second-generation densities later in the season.
Soft red and white winter wheat should not be affected by frost temperatures in the mid-30s even though the growing point is now above ground. The Ohio State University’s Laura Lindsey says that if air temperatures dip to the mid- to low 20s, then freeze damage will occur to the leaf tissue resulting in a reduction in wheat grain yield depending upon the situation.
Cover crop termination may be tough in fields with wet soil but is still important to do while crops like cereal rye are small. For fields going into corn, delaying rye termination to at or after planting can be a concern because it strongly competes for nitrogen. In May, with drier soils, farmers will likely not delay planting corn to kill cover crops first.
The May calendar has lots of holidays and celebrations starting with the May 1 May Day spring celebrations in many northern climates around the world. Then May 5 is Cinco de Mayo celebrated primarily in Puebla, Mexico, with the historic 1862 victory over the French army. May 10 is Mother’s Day to show appreciation for mothers. The big kahuna is May 25, Memorial Day, a federal holiday on the last Monday of May, mourning those who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: May will have a rare blue ‘micromoon’
Reporting by Ned Birkey, Farmers’ Advance / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
