It’s a good idea to start walking fields within 3 to 5 days of planting to see how well the crop is emerging at this point. Weather at the time of and shortly after planting really plays a role in the germination and emergence of corn. This spring we’re hearing from a few farmers who planted extremely early and made it work, while others are recovering from frost injury.

During germination, corn is particularly sensitive to low-temperature stress during germination, emergence, and seedling stages. A variety of soybean pathogens, like Pythium, are more prevalent in cool, wet soils. Cold soil temperatures can affect uniform emergence, consistent plant population and ultimately yield. We suggest taking field notes of the following:

1. Make a list of the planting date for each field.
2. Determine what hybrids or were planted where. Note the differences in “stress emergence” scores for the hybrids you planted.
3. Also note where each soybean brand was planted. If soybeans are damping off, perhaps next season you should opt for seed-applied fungicides.

Seed selection is one of the most important decisions affecting yield. Latham has a team of Product Specialists who can help you simplify the decision-making process. Talk to your local Latham® representative for more information or contact us at 1.877.GO.LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).

Last week at this time, corn planting had yet to get underway in many territories across Latham Country. What a difference one week makes! The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that 40% of the soybean crop and 84% of the state’s corn crop had been planted as of Sunday. With mostly sunny weather in the forecast through Saturday, we expect much ground to be covered yet this week.

For a look at crop conditions around our six state territory, click here, or select a region from the drop down above.

This spring has certainly a challenge, especially for farmers across North Central and Northeast Iowa and into Minnesota and the Dakotas. However, there’s no need for farmers to jump the gun and switch corn maturities now or even make the switch from corn to soybeans.

Remember, we’re still within the optimal window of yield for another 7 to 10 days. Most farmers only needs 2 to 3 good days to finish planting corn. If the sun shines and farmers return to the field as expected this weekend, much ground will be covered in a few days.

We don’t start losing significant yield on corn through the end of May, so continue to practice patience. At Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we’re just as eager to get our #crop14 into the ground. This season is definitely testing our patience, too. We’re taking our own advice by working our crop plan and avoiding the temptation to rush into unfit fields. We know nothing good comes from planting in soils that are too wet. Bring on the sun!

What a season of variability! Near Latham headquarters in North Central Iowa, more than seven inches of rain has fallen since Easter. Many counties to the east have received even more. Farmers in Boone County had finished planting corn in 2014 before many Franklin County farmers entered a field.

With more wet, cold weather in the forecast, local farmers are beginning to wonder if they’ll have their corn planted by mid-May.  Warm, dry days are needed as ponding is an issue right now on Latham’s Century farm. We can’t do anything about the weather, but we can control how we “play the cards we’ve been dealt.”

As hard as it is to wait, we know that planting in fit soils at optimal depth and proper seed spacing leads to better results. Optimum planting depth is 1.5 to 2 inches deep for corn when soil temperatures are at least 50°. While history has shown us that planting date is a guideline for top performance, it’s certainly not the only factor.

Last year many farmers in Fayette County, the northeast corner of Iowa, planted their crops in mid- to late May and saw near record yields thanks to warm fall temperatures and decent rains. Speaking of warmer temperatures… the weather in May is historically warmer than in April. Soils maintain warmer temperatures, and there is a much lower risk of imbibitional chilling damage. Chances for freezing damage also are lower, although we saw in Wednesday’s crop report that snow fell over much of our Northern territories halting planting from North Dakota to our Northern tier of Iowa counties.

Some farmers planted in early April to try and get in when they could. Some even talked about planting shallower to compensate for cold soils, but we don’t recommend this. Anything under the 1.5-inch mark is too shallow for proper nodal root development.  It’s also harder to create good seed-to-soil contact when planting this shallow. Remember, if you are planting at 1.5 inches it is easy for that to shallow up to 1 inch in different field conditions. Hard rains following planting can also settle the ground. For all these reasons, we shoot for a planting depth of 2 inches.

Also remember that cold temperatures at or before planting can negatively affect the growing point of the plant. For corn, that growing point stays under the soil surface until the V6-V7 stage and helps protect the plant to a certain degree from colder weather spells for several weeks. For soybeans, however, the growing point comes out of the ground at emergence. Therefore, a soybean seedling is immediately vulnerable to cold weather. Using a fungicide seed treatment will help protect young soybeans from seedling diseases at this early stage, but they are not designed to protect against cold temperatures.

It’s been a long, cold winter. With temperatures averaging 20° below normal last month and snowfall averaging 2 feet above normal across many areas in Latham Country, we’re all eager for spring. The date on the calendar shows that spring has arrived, but it’s in name only!

March continues to be a battle between seasons with wintery in the short-term forecast. Frost ran deep, and it’s going to be a while before conditions are fit for planting. Remember to let soil temperatures and soil conditions – not the calendar – dictate your planting date. Wait until soil temperatures in a region reach at least 50° before you plant corn and somewhere between 55° to 60° before you plant soybeans.

Soil temperature for soybean planting is more critical than for corn because soybeans can germinate in a soil environment of about 55° Fahrenheit. If the air temperature after germination hits 28 degrees Fahrenheit or less, however, the young seedling can be killed with the growing point of the plant right at emergence. Adversely for corn, the growing point stays under the surface until much later.