Phil discusses planting depth and watch-outs related to planting in cold and wet conditions.
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Jerry Broders
Field work and seed deliveries are heating up just like the temperatures in Eastern Iowa.
Bryan Rohe
Corn planting is underway in Central Iowa. Make sure your planter is set correctly. To maximize yield and to prevent root and stock issues, we recommend planting corn 2.5 inches deep. Soil temps are also very important. Soil temps need to be a minimum of 50 degrees for corn and 60 degrees is recommended for soybeans.
Craig Haaland
How the weather has changed in one week! The 10+ inches of snow we received last week has melted. This work week started with 60-degree temperatures and sunny skies. It looks like more sunshine and warm temperatures are on the way, so seed deliveries are in full force.
As eager as everyone is to get in the field, wait for fit planting conditions. Soil temperature and moisture, plus seed depth and spacing, are key to maximizing yield. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you enter the field:
Bart Peterson
That’s lot of Latham® soybeans! The arrival of warm, spring temperatures means this seed will soon leave the shed.
Cory Greiman
The 4-inch soil temperature was 41° at 7 AM on April 24 at my farm. Temperatures have warmed during the past week, aren’t yet the desired 50° for planting corn.
Darin Chapman
It feels like spring has finally arrived in Northwest Iowa! Although we are eager to get in the field, we must be patient for optimal planting conditions. We want to maximize yield, especially given today’s commodity prices.
Keep in mind that seed corn absorbs soil moisture at less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but soil temps must reach 50 degrees or higher for germination. Check out the 5- to 7-day forecast. If soil temperatures are climbing, consider planting corn. If the forecast looks like cold and wet weather for a while, hold off for better conditions. You don’t want seeds to imbibe cold water that can lead to chilling effect or ambient air temperatures to freeze seedlings as they emerge.
Larry Krapfl
Greg Mair
Spring has arrived and there is no turning back! Nice weather has allowed southern Wisconsin farmers to seed alfalfa. The fields worked up nicely on Tuesday for one of our customers in Potosi, who is seeding LH 9120 BR. I expect the corn planters to hit the fields Thursday or Friday.
Jay Nelson
What a difference a week makes! Last week we had 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground, and now we’re looking at clear fields. This is a picture from same location as the one I posted last week.
Farmers are getting excited. Although the weather warmer is inviting, soil temperatures are still in the low 40s. A few farmers are starting tillage, but it’s not yet fit to as there’s still a lot of frost in the ground.
Ken Highness
This picture was taken April 24 near Glyndon, Minn. Equipment is parked as farmers wait for soils to dry, so planting can begin!
Ramie Coughlin
A week ago most of South Dakota was sitting under a foot or more of snow. During the past week, temperatures really warmed up and we enjoyed some nice days. Today it’s again cold. Rain is falling across most of the state, but at least it’s not snow! Soil temperatures are plenty cool and ground conditions are fairly wet, so no field work is underway.
Farmers in the western counties of Southeast South Dakota may get in the field by the end of this week. We are hoping to get some spring fertilizing started next week in East Central and Southeast South Dakota.
James Keltgen
Mother Nature has finally turned a corner! Temps in the 50s have prevailed for the past week after snow blanketed fields the previous week. Frost is still present at 3.5 feet, so we still have a ways to go before field conditions are ready to plant. ” Soil temperatures are only 37 degrees in Northeast South Dakota. Warmer weather is forecast, so won’t have to wait much longer. Planting will likely start in Central SD and move east as soils dry.
Gary Geske
There’s still a little snow on the ground, but the tile pumps are starting to run. For me, this is the first real sign of spring. Soil temperatures are warming, so soon we will start planting.
Brian McNamee
We have entered a very favorable weather pattern recently. If the long term forecast holds true, we should be able to seed/plant all crops within a steady procession of one another: spring wheat, barley, durum, and all cereal grains followed by field peas and canola followed by corn, edibles, soybeans and sunflowers.
One thing that always amazes me with the ever-changing trends of agriculture is the size of the seeding/planting equipment. Plant 500 acres in a day with one machine? No problem, according to John Deere’s latest and greatest!
A customer of mine is doing a demo with this to seed barley. His 620 horsepower tractor is pulling a 855 bushel cart. He doesn’t have to fill anything very often, making it very efficient.
Yesterday’s high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, combined with a warm, dry short-range forecast, has all of us itching to get in the field. With such beautiful weather, it’s hard to remember that we received more than a foot of snow last week.
Record-setting cold temperatures and snow fall in the middle of this month have slowed down field work. Temperatures on April 15 set new record lows with daytime highs in the 30s as compared to the 60-degree average for April in Des Moines. Cities in North Iowa received more than a foot of snow in the seven days that followed. Waterloo received 4.9 inches of snow Sunday, April 15, which shattered the previous snowfall record that was set during the statewide blizzard in April 1973. Nearly 8 inches of snow fell Mason City on April 17, bringing the April snow fall total to an all-time high of 25.5 inches.
It’s amazing how quickly soil temperatures have rebounded! Last week soil temperatures hovered around the freezing mark. This week soil temperatures are averaging 47 degrees in Iowa’s northern counties, so we’re getting close to that desired 50-degree soil temperature for planting corn. In addition to checking soil temps, remember to check the moderate and long-range weather forecasts. Be sure the warm, dry weather holds long enough that newly planted seeds won’t imbibe cold water that can lead to chilling effect or that ambient air temperatures won’t freeze seedlings as they emerge.
Temperatures are only half the battle. Wait for fields to dry before taking your equipment out of the shed. Working soils that are too wet leads to yield loss and problems during the growing season:
Practice patience. Remember to let soil conditions, not the calendar date, dictate when you plant. Believe me, I know firsthand how hard this is to do! I also know that we’ll be glad we waited a few more days.
Craig Haaland
It’s another crisp morning in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Today’s forecast calls for another 4 to 8 inches of snow. It’s like living a scene from the movie, “Ground Hog” day. We keep waking up to April snow.
On a positive note, the snow is wet. Wet snow provides moisture, and subsoil moisture is needed by crops. While it’s trying our patience, we know that warmer days are ahead! In the meantime, our seed is safely in the shed.
Cory Greiman
This photo was taken south of Garner, but it’s snowing again. It looks like 5 inches has already fallen. The flakes are getting heavier and bigger.
Bart Peterson
This picture was taken April 16, 2018, just 7 miles east of Humboldt where it snowed 10 inches last weekend. Instead of unloading hard boxes of corn for planting, many farmers in the area are moving snow. This weather is testing our patience, but we know spring will arrive soon.
Bryan Rohe
Despite the weather, Latham® dealers are busy making deliveries and discussing what hybrids and varieties should be placed on what fields. Latham has outstanding product performance and takes pride in placing products on the right soils, fertility, and drainage to maximum profit per acre.
Jerry Broders
We’re all hooked up and ready to go in eastern Iowa! As you can see, our soil temperatures are not ready for #plant18. Soil temperatures here are 38 degrees at 2 inches of depth. It’s best for soil temperatures to reach 50 degrees before planting corn. Soil temperatures should consistently stay between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit before planting soybeans. Be patient as the forecast is for warmer temperatures next week!
Darin Chapman
Below are a few planter inspection tips while you wait:
Larry Krapfl
No planting will get underway here for a while as snow is covering most of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Fourteen inches of snow fell last weekend in Spencer, Neb., and Emerson, Neb, picked up eight inches of snow. Battle Creek, Iowa, got O.6 of an inch of rain followed by four inches of snow. Council Bluffs marked 0.8 inches of rain with just a dusting of snow. The good news is this snow won’t last long. We’re all ready for the planting season to begin!
Greg Mair
The month of April feels more like January. The winter storm that hit most of the Midwest dropped anywhere from 3 inches in southern Wisconsin to 33 inches of snow northwest of Green Bay.
I didn’t think I would ever hear of a day when farmers would use airplanes to fly salt over the rooftops to help speed up the melting process and to prevent barn roofs from collapsing. This photo from Latham® Dealer Adam Faust of Chilton, Wisc., shows the 22 inches of snow that fell. Adam says he’s looking forward to a calm May with warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. If the long range forecast is accurate, it’s shocking to say that we might be in the fields before we were last year!
Even with the warm sunshine this week in Watertown, it will take awhile for the 9 inches of snow to dry out – and for soils to warm up – enough to plant our Latham Corn SuperStrip.
Brian McNamee
Luckily, here in North Dakota we didn’t see the big snowfall that blanketed the Upper Midwest last weekend. Farmers across the area are chomping at the bit to get seed in the ground. There is a lot of “yet to be determined” acres across the region. It does look like we will start receiving normal to near normal temperatures in the coming week. Latest data shows that this is the second coldest April on record with temperatures averaging 15.5 degrees below average.
Pictured is one of my northern ND dealers with bulk seed delivery in place ready for season to hit.
Gary Geske
While we are all waiting for spring and planting, there are other things we must give attention. Cold grain stored in bins starts sweating as outdoor temperatures rise. Monitor the situation closely as a bin full of grain can spoil in no time. If you do not haul the grain out of the bins before the busy season starts, at least core the bins. Pull a few loads out of the center and run fans to equalize temperatures to prevent spoilage.
James Keltgen
Mother Nature has not been cooperating with farmers this spring. There has been a snowstorm every week in Northeast South Dakota for the past month. Twenty-one inches of wet snow has fallen during the last two storms with more snow in the forecast for April 18. Frost is still present as air temperatures have been 30 degrees below normal. Fortunately, the date to switch to earlier maturities for our region is May 20. We still have plenty of time until we need to be worry about that! Warmer weather and planting are just around the corner.
Ramie Coughlin
The calendar says spring is here, but Mother Nature says, wait just a bit. As snow continues to fall in South Dakota everyone gets a few more days in the shop to get spring field equipment ready to roll.
Ken Highness
This photo was taken April 17 near Freeport, Minn., where eight inches of snow fell over the weekend. While none of us want to see spring snow, at least it’s still early in the season. Keep calm. Each day brings us one day closer to “normal” spring temperatures!
Jay Nelson
Although we’ve had some fairly windy conditions with this snowfall, the good news is there should be adequate moisture once we can start rolling. This picture was taken south of Renville, Minn. Many dealers and farmers that I’ve been talking with are getting anxious, but I’m reminding them to make sure the ground is fit before they enter the fields.
Planting is one of the most important and direct influences that we have on yield. History has shown us that it’s best to avoiding planting when the soil is too wet or too cold. The effects of soil compaction become evident all season long, especially at harvest time. We’ll see the chilling effect when seeds imbibe cold water. When soil temperatures are less than 55° F for an extended period of time, the seedlings may “corkscrew” or not emerge when exposed to these coil soil temperatures.
The planters are ready to roll as this is coming to you! That’s why I’m reminding everyone how important the proper start to the season is.
If the planting season gets off to a bad start, it’s only going to get worse throughout the growing season. That’s why it’s so important to plant into fit soil conditions, at the proper depth and at a slow enough speed.
As a farmer, I understand the urgency to get seed in the ground. We’re so eager that sometimes we mud the crop into a less than desirable seed bed, and sometimes we plant at higher speeds to get more acres planted in a day. However, days on the calendar don’t make up for mistakes in the field. Keep in mind that haste makes waste.
A few years ago, I conducted speed and planter depth testing on our farm. I found that our John Deere 7000 planter was most accurate at 4.5 to 4.8 miles per hour (mph), and our yields were the best at a depth of 1.75 to 2 inches. I saw as much as a 10-bushel difference at higher planting speeds and a 20-bushel difference when seed was planted at 1.25 to 1.5 inches deep. Root systems were considerably smaller where the seed was planted shallower and at faster speeds.
Also remember to check depth and spacing each time you move to a different field to ensure depth and spacing works in that field’s soil type and texture. Wishing you all a safe and great planting season!
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Craig Haaland
Rain over the weekend brought harvest to a standstill once again. This rainy fall weather has delayed harvest by about two weeks. Soybean fields are about 80% done here, and corn harvest has just gotten started.
Farmers were just starting to roll again yesterday afternoon on soybeans. There’s an urgency to finish soybeans this week as the forecast is calling for snow on Saturday.
Latham’s popular 2084’s have been going 60 bushels plus, which is really good for Mitchell County Iowa. The hybrid pictured here is LH 5099 SS, which is a really good 100-day corn. The ears filled out to the top and is coming out of this field at 19% moisture.
Yields in Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota has been really good so far. I’m hearing yield reports from 215 to 245 bushels per acre.
Cory Greiman
This morning I’m getting ready to harvest my last Latham SuperStrip corn plot at Zach Greiman’s farm near Garner, Iowa. Maturities range from 94 to 107. Yesterday we harvested Latham dealer Scott Rasmussen’s SuperStrip corn plot and it was fantastic! Maturities there ranged from 99 to 110 with 28 entries in the plot. The entire plot averaged 250.82 bu/acre. Check out these and other plot results on LathamSeeds.com.
Wishing everyone a safe harvest as we come into the home stretch! Remember to take breaks, stay hydrated and keep alert.
Bart Peterson
Latham® Dealer John Lacina, and his son Alan of Badger Iowa, opened up a corn field last night at dusk. Yields on the monitor were 200+ bushels in this field of LH 6105 VT2 PRO at 16.0 to 17.5% moisture.
Bryan Rohe
Farmers across Central Iowa are about 90% done with soybean harvest. Yields are running between 55 and 85 bushels per acre. Soil variations really showed this year. Corn harvest is underway with about 90% left to harvest. Yields are ranging from 160 o 247 bu/A.
Stay safe this harvest season!
Darin Chapman
This field of L 2184 R2X Latham soybeans averaged 72 bushels per acre on this Northwest Iowa farm. You can see the cereal rye is coming in nicely due to the late fall rains.
Larry Krapfl
This Latham® soybean plot near Castana, Iowa, showed good yields for a challenging growing season. Latham brand 3158 L went 58 bushels per acre and L 2978 L ran 57 bu/A.
Greg Mair
As the sun begins to set on soybean harvest, corn harvest is ramping up. We harvested our first Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids SuperStrip plot on Oct. 20 in Ripon, Wisc. It’s not surprising that LH 5099 SS RIB won the plot with yields between 249 and 251 bushels/acre.
Yield reports of above-expected yields are coming in from growers across my territory. Some have commented they have fields outperforming their record yields from 2016! Delayed harvest with wet, cool weather may mean that growers are harvesting corn above the ideal harvest moisture. It may be worth spending a little extra on drying costs to secure yields before stalks lose their integrity.
Brian McNamee
Very few soybean fields remain as farmers across my region are moving into corn. Overall, I would say 2017 is an average soybean crop year statewide. Many good corn yields are being reported. Overall, growers have been pleasantly surprised with their yields as rain was sparse is so many areas throughout the growing season.
In this picture, I’m riding with a grower in Central ND as he combines LH 3877. His stand was beautiful, and his yield is more than 20 bushels above the APH. You would never guess that this field got such a severe hail event in early June that many of the neighboring soybean fields were replanted.
Many growers are still undecided about their plans for 2018. Please call your local Latham® Seeds representation soon, so they can offer you any every and any option in the toolbox.
Gary Geske
Information is power. Farmers are testing varieties on their farm. Latham® dealers and RSM’s are harvesting SuperStrip trials. In addition, the Latham production team is working with independent research teams to harvest and analyze literally hundreds and thousands of new hybrids. They compare experimental numbers to our current product lineup, so we can bring you the best Latham products available.
Learn more about the proven performance of Latham brand products this fall at a post-harvest meeting near you! Our event schedule will be posted soon on LathamSeeds.com, as well as under “events” on Facebook.
James Keltgen
Harvest is moving right along now that Mother Nature is cooperating! Soybean harvest is wrapping up and growers are moving into corn. A lot of yield reports from the Watertown area are coming in over 200 bushels per acre, which is fantastic especially when you consider the growing conditions. Moistures are running 17 to 20% in 90- to 94-day maturities. Snow has been forecasted later in the week, so everyone is pushing hard to get as much harvested as possible before the weather turns!
Ramie Coughlin
Ross and Levi from B&B Sales worked with me to take out our first Latham corn plot last Friday in Dell Rapids, South Dakota. Moisture was anywhere from 19 to 23%. Yields ran from 191 to 223 bushels per acre (bu/A).
Growers in my area are transitioning from soybeans to corn, and I’m excited to hear more yield results! I expect corn yields will really vary across Southeast South Dakota where the drought got drastically worse as you moved west.
I’m seeing stalk rots in fields as we do pre-harvest checks. Many environmental factors have attributed to this: hot summer nights, which prevented corn from resting; strong wind and hail events that damaged stalks and made entry points; plus lots of late-season moisture and humidity, which creates perfect fungal growing conditions. With that being said, take time to do some pre-harvest field checks. Make sure you harvest the worst first! Three days of strong winds will do a number on corn that is already beaten up, so do what you can to keep the corn off the ground.
Ken Highness
Monday and Tuesday of this week we harvested Latham’s corn and soybean research plot near Emerado, North Dakota. These plots help our company select and develop products that will out-yield the competition and provide a field-by-field regional advantage!
This is a great time of the year to get a view from the seat of the combine. You can tell a lot about compaction, weed pressure and other situations that will impact your crop. Take notes to help you address some of these challenges by picking right seed for each of your field. Remember to put safety first and have a great harvest season!
Brandon Wendlandt
As we were harvesting this Latham plot of LibertyLink soybeans in Morgan, Minnesota, I couldn’t help but notice how clean this field was! The plot cooperator reported that his whole field averaged 65 bushels per acre, which is a great yield for this area. If you’re having trouble with weed control, I’d love to visit with you. Look to Latham Seeds for a full lineup of weed control options!