As week three of planting gets underway, farmers in Wisconsin have 15% of corn in the ground. Many are anxious to get back in the fields after some recent rains, however sidewall compaction will come into play this spring if farmers rush back to plant. Remember to check subsoil moisture in each field after each rain to ensure a proper seedbed is present before you plant. Soil temperatures overall haven’t moved much. Last week’s warm temps set us up for a warming trend, however weekend rain and cold temps have brought soil temperatures back to where they started at the beginning of last week.

Soybean planting has yet to begin in Wisconsin, which is a good thing! If early planting is in your plans for this year however, be on the lookout for bean leaf beetles which can affect yield. Also treat your seed with insecticide to help promote maximum yield potential. Planting depth should remain no deeper than 1.5 inches under all conditions for even emergence.

Alfalfa growth is progressing quickly. A few farmers have cut hay late last week and I expect many more to follow this week. Testing is being conducted to see how the feed value is measuring on this first cutting. I encourage farmers to continue to scout for alfalfa weevils and do scissor cuts to see where the protein level and digestibility levels are at.