Mother Nature looks to provide producers in Iowa an optimal planting window this week, as temps will hit the 80s and rain will hold off until the weekend. But those tides could change with potential for a frost next week. Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, is also watching the weather forecast in central Illinois closely.
“Locally, it looks like we could get the corn planter started on Wednesday without seed-chilling issues, and we probably can continue to plant until about Saturday noon – if the weather forecast is correct,” Ferrie says.
There’s no question your planting date will affect crop yield. So, does that mean soybeans or corn should take planting priority? According to University of Illinois (UI) research, the answer goes back to Mother Nature.
Mother Nature Holds the Planter Keys
Current warm and dry temps continuing throughout the next few weeks mean either corn or soybeans could be planted first. However, if the potential frost hits the Midwest and decides to stick around, corn will have a better chance of survival, according to UI researchers.
“Corn emerges a little better than soybeans under such conditions, but this is offset by the need to have a higher percentage of corn seeds emerge,” the researchers said. “The ‘optimum’ planting window for both crops run from mid- to late-April, based on trials done across years and sites. But statewide, planting early does not guarantee high yields, and planting in mid-May (as happened in 2022) doesn’t always mean lower yields.”
Related story: Ferrie: Off to the Planting Races for Corn and Soybeans
Ferrie says weather conditions may tell you to plant corn.
“The first thing to remember is we plant corn when the ground is fit and not by the calendar,” he says. “While we don’t mud corn in, when this weather pattern turns and soil warms up to allow for good corn planting conditions, we plant corn.”
If you have the ability to plant corn and soybeans at the same time, that’s great. But, if you can’t plant corn and soybeans at the same time, “don’t waste good corn planting conditions” trying to get beans planted.
No matter which crop you plant first, if you are planting into cover – at least 6" to 10" – you will have more protection available for the crop and are at less risk of losing some portion of it to frost, according to Ferrie.
But he reminds producers the planting tides can quickly change.
#Plant23 Frost Potential
“We could have a frost on May 14 (Mother’s Day) and have to do this all over again,” he says, referencing what he calls the Mother’s Day Massacre. “We’ve been through this before, so put on your big boy pants when you make that decision to plant.”
Say a producer takes Ferrie’s advice, puts their “big boy pants” on and moves to get corn in the ground this week, ahead of soybeans–what soybean planting date will keep producers in a window that maximizes yield?
Max-Out Soybean Yields
The research finds planting soybeans in the second week of April to the end of the month will maximize yields, with yield numbers slowly declining when planting moves into May.
Here’s a breakdown of how soybeans will lag as planting dates are pushed out:
• May 15 – 94% of max yields
• May 31 – 87% of max yields
• June 15 – 79% of max yields
According to the findings, soybeans’ early planting advantage doesn’t change from April 15 to April 30. Therefore, soybeans should show maximum yield response, so long as they are planted before April is through.
