Filed under: cold, Corn, Farm, Minnesota, rain, repairs, time, Uncategorized, weather | Tags: Corn, Planting
We finished planting corn yesterday. In total I was pulling the planter on part or all of 6 days. Some were long days, but not all. The state of Minnesota is estimated to be 90% finished with corn planting. That’s way ahead of schedule.
The rains we had helped to slow down progress, but the rain was needed. We had a bit over 3 inches of rain for the month of April. Only one day had more than a quarter of and inch of precipitation. More rain is forecast for thursday and friday.
Also forecast for later this week are colder temperatures. No freezing weather, but colder than corn plants want for germination and growth. We need better than 50 degrees at night to get the best growth. Some days this week will not top out at 50.
Some corn is emerging despite the cool temperatures. Sandy spots and areas protected from the wind have started peeking through. The Minnesota estimate is 19% of planted corn is emerging.
We’re going to wait until next week to start planting soybeans. Corn matures on heat, beans mature on day length. You can get better yields out of beans with a longer time in the ground, but they are more likely to get frozen if the temperatures go down.
I still think we’re early to be finished planting. What corn is coming up has been in the ground for 10 days or better. If temperature and moisture are right I’ve seen corn emergence in 4 days.
We’ve a few repairs to do and I noticed more tree branches hanging out over the field. There’s always plenty to do.
Michael
