
“Planting for success” sounds like a great slogan. When does planting for success start? Extension researchers agree on one thing: Perhaps nothing is more important than getting planting date right, including knowing which crop to plant first. Shawn Conley in Wisconsin and Osler Ortez, Laura Lindsey and Taylor Dill in Ohio all share the quest for answers about the best planting dates for corn and soybeans.
Conley, Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin, analyzes data from all over the country, running hypothetical planting scenarios. Ortez, Ohio State University corn specialist; Lindsey, OSU soybean specialist; and Dill, OSU graduate student, are ready to start the third year of the Battle for the Belt project, comparing whether it pays to plant corn or soybeans first.
Planting wisdom
Here are 10 lessons learned so far:
1. Soybeans respond to early planting. In Ohio, two years of data suggest you should plant soybeans as soon as possible after the crop insurance early-plant date, Dill says. The advantage for early soybeans is clearer in west-central Ohio than northwest Ohio and is not as obvious in northeast Ohio. Early-planted soybeans excelled in 2024 Indiana trials.
2. Crop insurance planting dates are earlier. Officials moved planting dates that qualify for crop insurance earlier in most areas recently, Conley says.
3. Plant corn early too. “We see corn yields decline rapidly for planting in late May,” Dill observes. “However, be cautious about ultra-early planting with corn.”
4. There are times to prioritize corn. Based on simulation data, Conley notes that at some point in early spring, you should prioritize corn planting over soybean planting. Nationwide, that is somewhere between 110 and 145 days into the year.
“If conditions are right, plant soybeans hard early. Then once you reach optimum dates for corn, switch,” Conley advises.
5. Corn responds to management decisions. Conley’s simulations also show that corn revenue is more sensitive to management decisions than soybean revenue. “Planting order decisions should first incorporate management optimization,” he says.
6. Plant longer-season corn hybrids early. The 115-day maturity hybrids performed best in west-central and northwest Ohio, and in Indiana. At later planting dates, going with shorter relative maturity hybrids pays, Dill says.
7. Consider increasing soybean seeding rate. Increased seeding rate helped in Ohio trials, with a nod toward 180,000 and 210,000. That is likely due to low plant populations associated with ultra-early planting dates, Lindsey says.
However, in Indiana trials, Purdue Extension soybean specialist Shaun Casteel found it wasn’t necessary to increase seeding rate at earlier planting dates.
8. Plant later soybean maturity groups early. In Wisconsin trials, Conley found that coupling planting early with selecting later-maturing varieties for the area produced highest yields.
9. Soybean yields decline when planted later. Your May 28-planted beans made 70 bushels per acre. What would they have produced if planted April 28? Conley found yield for soybeans planted after May 20 declined. Optimum yield in the Wisconsin trial in 2023 resulted from planting a Group 2.0 soybean on April 28. Dill and Lindsey saw soybean yields decline at both Ohio locations for June plantings. Casteel saw yields for June-planted soybeans decline sharply.
10. Cover crops affect soybean maturity choice. If you delay termination of cover crops, plant a longer-season soybean than you would select otherwise, Conley says.
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