Window of Opportunity Still Exists

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

Farmers, who are concerned with getting their crops planted early, don’t need to panic yet! We’re still well within the window of opportunity to achieve optimal yields.

“Early planting” is really a subjective term. Some farmers define it as getting corn in the ground on April 15; others define it as getting corn planted by April 30. However, during my 32 years as an agronomist, I’ve learned that the date on the calendar isn’t nearly as important as the seedbed conditions at the time of planting and the short-term forecast that follows.

The years when farmers have achieved the best yields are when they had the best planting conditions and the best weather in the days that followed. Soil need only reach 50 degrees for corn to germinate, but it must be able to maintain that 50 plus-degree temperature for an extended period to encourage proper seed growth and plant development.

The unseasonably cold weather that we’ve experienced over the past two weeks has caused most soil temperatures to actually decrease. That’s why corn planted on April 15, 2011, isn’t guaranteed to out-yield corn that will be planted on May 5.

Waiting for soil conditions to reach – and maintain – 50 degrees Fahrenheit for corn and 55-60 degrees for soybeans will help with emergence and will contribute to better seedling development and overall plant health. For these reasons and more, it pays to plant when conditions are better suited.

Shannon Latham was recently interviewed by Mark Pearson for The Big Show regarding planting dates and the best steps growers can take now to help achieve optimal yield. Click the link below to listen to the interview.

Shannon Latham Discusses Planting Dates with WHO Big Show

As Shannon said, patience is key this season. At Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, we know first-hand that waiting is easier said than done. We’re still waiting to plant, too!

2011 Corn Crop Isn’t Necessarily Behind

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

There has been much talk recently about the wet, cold planting conditions throughout the country. On Saturday, a TV reporter said that only 2% of Iowa’s corn crop was planted as compared to the 16% that had been planted by the same time last year.

The percentage of corn in the ground by April 22 doesn’t mean the 2011 corn crop won’t be another bin-buster. Keep in mind that last spring’s soil and weather conditions allowed farmers to plant more acres much earlier than the norm. On average, only about 7% of Iowa’s corn acres has been planted at this time of year.

It’s easy to compare present conditions to just one year ago, so let’s take a minute to reflect on what happened in 2008. Spring rains in Iowa that year resulted in saturated soils, cool soil temperatures and soil conditions that were less than ideal for planting. Iowa State University Extension Corn Specialist Roger Elmore said, “Many farmers were guilty of ‘mudding in’ some corn that year. The penalty: reduced yields.” Click here to read Iowa State’s Integrated Crop Management NEWS from May 2008.

It’s documented: Reduced yields result from planting under conditions that are too wet and too cold. Keep this in mind the next time someone says, “It pays to plant early.” And then chides you because your planter isn’t yet rolling.

“Regardless of calendar date, producers should wait for suitable seedbed conditions and the short-term forecast calls for pleasant weather,” advises Elmore.

Remember that although you may not have your corn planted as early as last year, it’s still “early.” There are literally weeks of optimal planting dates left, and on average, farmers need only one week or less to get all of their corn acres planted.

You can afford to take the extra time to wait for seedbed conditions to improve. In fact, exercising patience now will mostly likely pay dividends this fall. When conditions are far less than ideal, it pays more to wait!

Prosperous Harvest Underway

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

Northeast Iowa

Corn harvest is just getting underway in Nick Benson’s territory. There have been good drying conditions, and corn is coming out of the field with 17 to 23 percent moisture. Yields are great. One of his customers, who planted Latham® Hi LH 5426 VT3 PRO, saw yields of 240 to 280 b/A on a field that usually goes 200 to 220 b/A. Yields are extremely variable this year and, Nick says, they appear to be completely rain dependent. In areas that received too much water during the growing season, yield dropped 20%, but yields are 10 to 20% higher in areas that received just the right amount of rain. Some areas experienced trouble with stalk rot due to this excess moisture. Below is a short video where Nick shares how to test for stalk rot.

Soybean yields are phenomenal this year, Nick said, and it helps that SDS hasn’t been much of a problem here. Yesterday Nick walked a field of Latham® soybeans and, on the first plant that he randomly pulled, he counted 165 pods. Many of his customers are seeing high 60s and 70s as field averages. One customer called late last night when his yield monitor hit 80 b/A, and the whole field average was 68 b/A.

Wisconsin

Many combines started hitting harvest hard this week in Wisconsin, says Steve Bailie. Growers are seeing 200-bushel yields in corn and 55-bushel averages in beans. One of Steve’s customers was extremely pleased that Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 5228 VT3 averaged 180 b/A on a marginal ground. Latham® products were planted for the first time on several Wisconsin farms, so many customers are looking forward to seeing what yields will come their way. Steve has been working closely with his customers to check stalks and inform them which fields they should start combining. He says this service seems to be of great value to them.

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer says corn harvest has picked up throughout the region over the past seven days. Farmers starting with corn had great weather for an early harvest with moistures in the teens and yields surprisingly a little better than last year. There are a few stalk quality issues in the area, but farmers are getting in early to minimize crop loss. Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 5033 3000GT and LH 5228 VT3 are performing strong in the early 100-day maturities. Soybean harvest progressed the latter part of the week, and again, yields are somewhat surprising. With widespread SDS in the area, yields of high 50s to low 60s b/A are being reported. Early Group 2 maturities are currently being harvested, with Latham® Hi-Tech Soybeans L2085R and L2182R2 leading the pack.

East Central Iowa

Harvest is underway East Central Iowa with corn yields ranging from 120 to 190 bushels per acre. Much of the corn has poor stalk quality and must be harvested in a timely fashion. Brad Beatty reports that Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 5777 SS was checked on Friday with a yield of 177 b/A, 18.5% moisture and a 58.5 pound test weight in a corn-on-corn situation. Very few soybeans have been harvested, and most beans in this area are about a week away from harvest.

South Central Iowa

Travis Slusher’s farm received more than three inches of rain from Saturday through Tuesday night. Areas south of him have received well over five inches. Needless to say, harvest has come to a standstill here. What corn was harvested last week had Latham® HI-Tech Hybrids LH5777 SS yielding well at 18% moisture with LH5896 VT3 and LH6068 VT3 showing great yields and moisture in the low 20s for the growing conditions that they had to endure this season. Soybean harvest has been slow and spotty as the majority of the beans are not ready to cut. Yields have been from the mid-40 bushel range in areas with heavy SDS pressure to mid 60s in areas that didn’t experience heavy SDS pressure. Travis wishes everyone a safe and productive harvest season. Be safe out there!

Northwest and North Central Iowa

Harvest is slowly underway in the northernmost part of the state. Tom Larson says it’s too early to make concrete statements on yields, but it appears that soybeans are averaging 50 to 60 bushels per acre in the better fields and corn is making 180 to 200 bushels per acre. With all of the precipitation so far this week and more in the forecast, Tom isn’t expecting much harvest activity this week.

South Dakota

Corn in South Dakota is estimated at 45% mature as compared to 10% last year. The soybean crop is also ahead of last year with 75% of the leaves dropped. Unfortunately, rainfall is slowing down harvest. Another two inches of rain is expected during the next two days. A few acres of high-moisture corn have been harvested. Bill has also heard reports of corn moisture in the teens, so these fields are ready for harvest as soon as the weather cooperates.