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Corn Watch: Some farmers faced the same decision two years in a row.

Tom J Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

June 5, 2017

3 Min Read
RIGHT DECISION? This is last year’s Crop Watch field after more seed was spotted-in. It made 185 bushels per acre. This year, the producer went down the same planter path. Stay tuned for how things turn out!

Unusually wet and cool weather conditions impacted the Crop Watch field for the second year in a row. This year the program is called Corn Watch, but the principle is the same. “By seeing what happens in this field, we can talk about what might happen in your field,” says Dave Nanda, an independent consultant in Indianapolis.

“When situations like this occur, it is difficult for the producer,” he adds. “For someone studying what happens in the field, it actually offers more opportunities to see how corn reacts under different situations.”

Here’s a rundown of what has happened in the field so far.

The 80-acre field was planted April 20 in the heart of what Nanda suggests is an ideal time to plant corn. The soil was in good shape. If anything, it was on the dry side. At that point, showers and storms had skirted the area.

The producer planted about 2.25 inches deep, deeper than he prefers. He did so to make sure seed was placed in moisture.

A three-year study conducted by Indiana Prairie Farmer and the Tippecanoe County Extension Service at Purdue University’s Throckmorton Research Center found no yield difference when planting from 2 to 4 inches deep. The only significant difference occurred when corn planted at 1 inch deep fielded a poor stand, and yield was 20 bushels per acre off the pace.

Rain returns
Just like in 2016, it began raining within hours after planting. Within a week, over 6 inches fell, plus temperatures dropped to below seasonal readings.

Whether corn emerged and the quality of the stand depended on soil type. There are three types: from low, dark, poorly drained soil to somewhat drained soil with less organic matter to rolling hills. Emergence was good on the hills, and very little emerged in the lowest spots where water stood.

The problem was the “in-between” ground. That’s where stands were most erratic.

Based on other fields planted earlier that were better drained, the producer speculates that if this field was well-drained, emergence might not have been a problem, except for where water ponded. However, the field is not patterned-tiled, making the in-between areas slow to dry out.

The producer was left with the same dilemma he faced last year: The stand was good in places, so-so in places and poor in places. Should he tear it up or spot-in corn as he did a year ago? This time he could get back in by May 18, a few days earlier than last year.

He opted to spot-in the worst areas, although he’s still not sure if that was the right choice. He wound up replanting more than he anticipated. Perhaps he should have torn everything up and started over.

Two factors swayed him against doing so. One, replant seed for one of the hybrids might be tough to get. Second, and perhaps most important, the weatherman was calling for heavy rains again. The producer feared that if he worked the field, it would be set up for washing and crusting again. As it turns out, the forecasters were right again.

Was spotting-in the right choice? Last year the field where the farmers spotted-in seed made 185 bushels per acre, around or slightly above average. Only time and summer weather will tell this year.

Seed Genetics-Direct, Washington Court House, Ohio, sponsors Corn Watch ’17.

About the Author(s)

Tom J Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

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