Many Midwest farmers will wrap up the 2011 planting season this week, but there won’t be much rest for the weary.  As soon as seed is in the ground, it’s a good idea to start scouting fields.

Post-planting is an ideal time to begin scouting one’s crops.  Many soilborne pathogens strike as soon as the seed begins to take on water; others strike young seedlings.  Because seeds can germinate quickly and emerge in 3 – 5 days, it’s not too soon to start walking your fields.

Check plant populations, evaluate stands and be on the lookout for early summer diseases.  Is there a germination problem?  Do you see effects of chilling or crusting?

Assessing your situation ASAP will allow you to formulate a plan while there’s still plenty of time to implement it.  You could replant in parts or in all of a field now, so you can attain the yields and returns you want this fall.  Information on corn replanting decisions is available from www.agronext.iastate.edu/corn. Click on the “Planting” topic, then click on the “Replant Decision Aid Calculator” tab and use that tool and related information to help make a replant decision. For a resource on soybean replanting decisions, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1851.pdf.

Another benefit of evaluating current stands is to help you determine what adjustments should be made before planting next year’s crop:  Do you need to adjust your planter settings or your planting speed?

Once you get past the mechanical issues, look at the disease pressure.  If soybeans are damping off, perhaps next season you should opt for seed-applied fungicides? Do you need to pay closer attention to a particular soybean brand or corn hybrid’s disease rating?  Seed selection is one of the most important decisions affecting yield. Click here for tips on selecting  soybean brands and selecting corn hybrids.

While many Midwest farmers have yet to get their corn in the ground, others are contemplating whether or not to till up their poor crop and try it again.  Poor stands have resulted in some fields where cool temperatures and wet soils put significant stress on seed germination and corn seedlings.

There are three important steps farmers should take when deciding whether to replant:

1. Evaluate the existing stand for population and uniformity.
2. Compare yield potential of the existing stand with yield potential of the replant.
3. If the decision is made to replant, consider various management practices to optimize yield by protecting your crop.

When evaluating corn stands, only count plants that have a good chance of survival.  Observe the uniformity of the stand across the field to determine whether the entire field – or just portions of it – must be replanted.  Click here to watch Steve Bailie, Latham’s Regional Sales Manager in Wisconsin, explain how to do a stand count.  ISU Ag Economist William Edwards also has a developed a replant calculator, based on price expectations and the extra costs associated with replanting that might be helpful.

A chart in a recent issue of Integrated Crop Management will also give you an idea of potential losses from later planting dates.  As Roger Elmore writes, however, this may be the kind of year where late planting has little or no penalty.

Another factor to consider on replanted acres is pest management.  Most soil insecticides cannot be legally applied twice in the same growing season in the same field.  With this in mind, replanting with Latham® brand corn containing the Genuity® family of traits provides farmers with more options to combat insects.  Contact your local Latham representative or call 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1-877-465-2842) for assistance.

Agronomic Spotlight: Assess Corn & Soybean Stands

It was another wet, rainy and cold weekend in North Central Iowa, and it looks to be another wet week ahead.  There is about a 50% chance of rain every day in the 5-day forecast, so chances are we won’t get back in the field any time soon.  The good news, however, is that this week’s rains looks like it will be warmer than the icy cold rains we received last week.

Time is also on our side.  There’s no need to worry about the dates on the calendar and feel pressed for time to achieve those optimal soybean yields.  For most of Iowa, I’ve always considered the optimal soybean planting dates as the last week of April to mid-May.  That means farmers normally will not lose yield if they wait until May 15th to plant soybeans.  Plus, that extra time will give soil temperatures a chance to warm up again.

Cooler soils tend to bring out the worst in Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) as early-planted soybean fields are historically more prone to it.  There is also some evidence that early planted soybeans are also more prone to iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC).  To lessen the risk of IDC symptoms, delay planting soybeans by a week to 10 days on soils with a high PH or with high levels of salts.  Years of experience has proven the later you plant soybeans on some of these tougher soils, the better root system these plants will develop.  Better root systems will help ward off some of these diseases.

Bottom line:  you will likely be better off waiting until conditions improve before planting.  Continue to work your crop plan; be vigilant about planting each hybrid and variety in the field where it was intended.  (Yes, there is still time to plant corn without worry about switching maturities or switching from corn to soybeans.)

There’s a chance that many farmers will go straight from planting corn to soybeans this year.  But given the field conditions, no one should even consider planting soybeans now.  Current soil and weather conditions are marginal for planting soybean – at best!

We’re reminded to watch our speed when we’re driving down the highway and see a speed limit sign posted.  We know there are “electronic eyes” watching up in major metro areas.  (Some us unfortunately have first-hand experience with receiving a ticket by mail.)  Without question, excessive speed can be costly.

But how often do you think about the cost of excessive speed while you’re pulling a planter and making your way across farm fields?  There is definitely a price to be paid for speeding, although you may not notice the effects until emergence or even harvest.

Proper planting speed can have one of the biggest impacts on performance. There are 1,000 variables that plants are subject to each growing season, so why not take control of one of these variables – speed?  Below is a chart that shows the differences of seed placement when traveling 5.5 mph and 6.5 mph.