As May transitions to June, many Indiana corn growers are faced with substantial acreage yet to plant. Statewide, as of May 26 (USDA-NASS, 2019), only 22% of the state’s corn crop was estimated to have been planted. That disappointing planting progress positions the 2019 planting season AT THE MOMENT just slightly ahead of the similarly slow 1996, which currently holds the unenviable record for the most delayed planting season in the past 40 years. AND, there is still a chance we will surpass (or should I say “fall behind”?) that record by the time this planting season is finished. In the remaining days of May, thunderstorms continued to rumble across the state… sometimes across the north… sometimes across the south… sometimes through the central counties. Unless a rapid shift from rainy to sunny, warm, and windy occurs soon, the prospects of serious planting progress through the first week of June[Read More…]
390 articles tagged "Agronomy Tips".
Planting cover crops on prevented planting acres can be a good way to improve soil health after the excessive water this spring and can help with weed control on otherwise fallow land.
Light green alfalfa in the background of the photo was adequate in all nutrients except S which was 0.14% – well below the critical level of 0.25%.
Many of us remember standing against the doorframe in our early years while our parents marked our height with a pencil to measure how much we had grown. Some of you may have spent more time in your youth standing in the corner, but that is between you and your parents
The consequences of flooding, ponding, and saturated soils on young corn depend heavily on the duration of the stress and temperatures.
To facilitate speedy planting between rain showers many growers are skipping starter fertilizer. What might be the consequences?
Soybean planting progress (or the lack there of) for Indiana and much of the Midwest is one of the slowest on record. Indiana soybeans normally reach 50% planted by May 20th, but we are only at 6% by the same period.
The number of 30-, 40-, and 60-ft wide (or larger) field crop planters across the U.S. Midwest is greater today than, say, twenty years ago. Certainly, individual farmers can plant more acres of corn and soybean per day with today’s large field equipment than they could twenty years ago.
Being able to predict when a field of corn will reach particular leaf stages can be useful for scheduling post-emergence applications of certain herbicides and sidedress N fertilizer, especially if your farming operation is so large that regular field inspections are difficult to work into your busy schedule.
Understanding the sequence of the visual indicators of germination in corn can help troubleshoot emergence problems.