Corn
U.S. corn planting posted another big week. As of May 22, 72% of the crop is planted, up from 49% complete as of May 15.
Pay attention to the low-lying areas, sandier soils and no-till fields and scout soybeans to evaluate stands and determine final plant population, advises Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
U.S. corn planting progress is off to its slowest start since 2013. With only 14% of the corn crop in the field as of May 1, Dan Basse of AgResource Company thinks a record U.S. corn yield is already off the table.
It’s also time to consider switching to corn planting if you are unable to plant corn and soybeans simultaneously. Beware of salt-burn risks in spring strip tillage, and start checking soybeans for bean leaf beetles.
When you plant corn does matter, but there are in-season factors that play a significant role in final outcomes as well, according to USDA and agronomists.
Much of the Midwest is seeing cool, wet conditions while the West is increasingly dry. If you plant in poor soil conditions, you will pay for that mistake at harvest, say agronomists. Their recommendation: be patient.
With these high corn prices, plant corn when conditions are right, says Ken Ferrie. Don’t act in haste and set yourself up for corn replant decisions. If you have to push conditions and plant, go with soybeans.
As input prices climb to alarming levels, Jon Stevens’ decade-long series of input trials is paying dividends in 2022.
How does your planting status in 2022 compare with an average year?
We spoke with three weather experts this week to gauge when the best time is to press “start” on planting, what to expect this growing season and how you can use weather as a chess piece in your marketing plans.