It’s “go time” across farm country. Spring means planting, long days and short nights. For farming neighbors to the south, planting has been finished for a while. But for most of the Plains and Midwest states — the Corn Belt — this is crunch time.

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported corn planting ahead of the average over the past five years, but thunderstorms and severe weather in late April in many parts of the country have slowed planters down.

According to a Farm Futures survey in March, U.S. producers are expected to plant more than 92.4 million acres to corn, down 2.3 million acres from last year, and almost 86 million acres to soybeans, up 2.4 million acres from 2023.

Planting HHD fields

The corn harvest demonstration fields at the Husker Harvest Days show site west of Grand Island, Neb., were planted on time — from April 11-15. HHD farm manager Jason Luebbe reported that the fields were planted to 98- to 101-day maturity hybrids from Pioneer, Channel and Beck’s, so the fields would be dry enough to harvest easily during the show, which is set for Sept. 10-12.

Luebbe plants at a population of 34,500, and at a depth of 2.25 to 2.5 inches. Because of the early plant date, he puts down fungicide in furrow. “Moisture in the soil is very good right now,” Luebbe says. But he is ready to irrigate if timely rains are not forthcoming.

Related:FP Next: Planter prep tips from experts

With planting season rolling along, it won’t be long until farmers are ready to park the planter in the shed for the season. Anthony Styczinski, go-to market lead for planters and air seeding, and Paul Richardel, marketing lead for planting and spraying — both with John Deere — recently talked about a couple of important steps before parking the planter for the season to save on maintenance next spring.

Preventing mouse damage

If you don’t want to start your season in 2025 with a breakdown, post-planting season maintenance this year is the place to start, Styczinski says. Mouse damage is among the typical issues that can cause problems in the shed.

“Just clean your machine really well at the end of the season,” Richardel says. “It’s easier to clean it right when the planting season ends than to try to come back and find all the nests at catch points that happen and the catch material from the previous spring. That is where the mice are going to want to live. If you disrupt what they are there for, the little seeds and residue sitting on the frame, get that cleaned up, you’ll be starting off in a much better place than if you didn’t.”

“Essentially, you are making sure there is no food around for them to hang out and make it through winter,” Styczinski adds.

“Clean those tanks out and clean those meters off; empty them out,” Richardel says. “Pull those brush belts out at the end of the season. Pull your seed meters out, take the plates out and bowls off, and put them in a safe, dry place. That’s the best way to set yourself up for success in the next year.”

Listen to this episode of FP Next or other episodes by visiting farmprogress.com/program/fp-next.