Plant or not

[rrlund]

Everything is plowed. We got a good bit of it done Saturday at plow day, I finished the last of the sod yesterday. I could be
ready to plant by tomorrow afternoon or Friday, but it's so doggone cold. No rain in the seven day, but lows around freezing,
highs in the upper 50s. It's so dry, we had trouble getting the small plows in the ground Saturday, but the big ones went in
alright and the chisel plow is taking care of what the small plows didn't get. I hate to plant in cold ground, but it's not so wet
that I'm real concerned about seed rotting right away.

I've seen this dance before back in the 80s. I had more corn going in that year than I do this year and I plowed everything that
year. I finished plowing on May 16 and was having a devil of a time getting the plow in the ground because it was so dry. It
started raining on the 17th and wouldn't quit. I started planting on June 6 that year, finished the last silage corn on July 8. As
much as I hate the idea of planting in the cold ground, I don't want to be kicking myself while I'm planting in June again this
year if things take a sudden turn.

Decisions decisions.

 

[DeltaSteve]

I would say go ahead and plant.I would rather take the chance and get it in the ground,rather than wait.An old farmer once told me When it's time to plant corn,it's time to plant corn!

 

[4520BW]

I planted April 7 and had a couple inches of snow a week later and now I have a perfect stand. It's a gamble for sure. A lot of guys by me wait till may 1 to start and with all the rain we're getting it will be a week before they can start and with more rain forecasted I am glad I got all my corn in.

 

[Mark-Mi]

Time to plant

 

[Bob Bancroft]

It is so blasted wet here in central NY much of the time I plant whenever it's dry enough, [or almost dry enough !] to get on the ground. We started out unusually dry, and I got oats in at a decent time for the first time in years. Wheat looks good. When I sprayed it, I didn't sink, but everything was so sticky the tires loaded up. Now it's so wet, I'm already seriously thinking this might be a June planting year. I hate that.

 

[NY 986]

I am similar to Bob Bancroft in terms of how the spring is going. The top few inches of soil in some fields was dry in March so they got hit with the field cultivator while the other fields were too wet. I also had mud ball up on the tires while top dressing wheat. Simply too wet to do anything now and the forecast is cool and damp.

 

[Doug Cotton]

Come to Kalkaska, we've had 2.5 since Sunday

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Randy as you probably know, I am pretty much straight east of you in Ontario, just east of Toronto. And we are soaking wet !! No rain for today or tomorrow, but it rained plenty yesterday, and more coming Friday. Like you we are cold. If I were you, I think I would start in and try to plant at least half right away, and get the grain corn in. If it should get soggy, and you have to stop, the silage corn is more forgiving. I dont plant enough to worry 30 or so acres of silage corn, and some of that is going in after I take a cut of hay from the field first.

 

[NY 986]

Seed protectants are vastly better than what they were in the 1980's. I would go ahead and plant any fields that do not have standing water issues. Do you carry any crop insurance that provides for a replant?

 

[SVcummins]

Everyone has been drilling here for a month been so cold nothing Is growing

 

[Dave H (MI)]

When did you make the decision to come back to Talk? First Tales and now???

I leased anything not in hay this year. The elevator a few miles away shut down a couple years ago. I was tired of dealing with the weather and it seemed like it was getting to be more gambling than a business. The fella who used to lease from me quietly shut down his operation. He was doing a lot of acreage in the county and was well known. The guy who took over his leases came to see me and we cut a deal. He says the prior guy got out of row crops and is doing some hay. From what I hear around though he is pumping septic tanks mostly. Back to your question...they are planting all around me currently and I expect my place to be planted within a week here in silage corn. Couple of years ago the prior guy planted and the corn came up and was snowed on. It still grew. I said then that guy could fall into a cesspool and come out smelling like a rose. Kinda ironic when you think about it.

 

[JK-NY]

Its cool and quite wet here in Central NY as Bob Bancroft mentioned. I dont imagine anything will be planted here any time soon.Soil temp needs to get a little warmer for corn to get off to a good start.If it is dry maybe you couldget one field planted and see what happens. Do you get the insurance incase you need to replant? I was wondering how the plow day went. Did you get any pictures of it. One of the clubs I am in had a plow day planned for May 1 but postponned it till this Sat. 5/8. i imagine they will either have to reshedule again or cancel it as it is much wetter now.

 

[jhwis]

North Central wisconsin here has guys just starting to put seeds in the ground. I've seen a fair amount done last weekend already. It has been cooler for sure, but moisture has been good for planting purposes.

 

[rrlund]

I'd heard Houghton Lake had 1.4 the other night. We could see the lightning, but didn't get any rain. We had .31 about 1 o'clock yesterday morning. I waited until noon to plow the last of that field I was in, but the furrow wasn't even slippery, even in red clay.

 

[fixerupper]

What you do not know is when the rain will come and how much you will get. Or when it will warm up. What you do know is you lose yield potential for every day you wait to plant after the first week in May. Corn seed is a lot tougher now than what it was 20 years ago or more. I don't see any risk in may planted seed rotting in the soil. It can lay there in cold soil three weeks without coming up and be OK. Three weeks from now will be pushing June. If the soil is too cold for the corn to come up by June you will have plenty of company because a whole lot of us will be in big trouble this year. I would plant but not as deep, maybe an inch and a half instead of two inches deep. At an inch and a half there will not be any moisture if you have plowed and worked it again but at least all of the seed will be dry instead of some in moisture and some not in moisture. If you go down deep maybe three inches to get the seed in moisture you will have it in soil that will stay cold longer. just some rambling thoughts. You are an old farmer you already know all this anyway.

 

[Eric in IL]

I'm waiting on some warmer temps. I believe a corn plant really doesn't want any bad days. Soybeans seem to tolerate bad days better than corn. Maybe soys are the best gamble at this date.

 

[swindave]

whats the soil condition? nice and dry? worked up good?
if it s me, could you try planting maybe a third or a half?

that way you wouldnt gamble it all?
also, how long does it take to plant everything?
ifs it just a couple days? or over a week? if it over a week, ill definiely plant some now

just my thoughts

 

[rrlund]

I'm afraid of ending up like the guy on his roof in a flood. Two boats and a helicopter came to rescue him and he said he didn't need their help, God would save him. Fast forward to the pearly gates and he's angry that God didn't save him. God said you're mad at Me? I sent two boats and a helicopter for you.

I'd hate to be cursing two weeks from now for not taking advantage of near perfect planting conditions. The heck of it is, my silage corn ground is where it's normally way too wet until after Memorial Day, every bit of it's worked, even the worst of the wet spots, so if I do plant, the silage corn is going in first.

 

[rrlund]

Plow day went great. I don't know if Royse got any pictures or not. The wife had the camera. I forgot all about it until we were about two rounds from being done in the last field. She got three short videos that I don't even know if will play or not and two pictures. One was of her feet and one was on my nieces husband and me on his Oliver 1850, but it was so close up that we could have been anywhere.

We had 4 Olivers, an 1850, 880, Super 55 and 66. Three Deere's, an 80, 60 and an M. Two Massey Harris, a 33 and 44, one Massey Ferguson 230. One Case SC, one Allis Chalmers D15. A Farmall 400 and at least one H.


I'll check the club website and see if there are any pictures on there.

 

[onefarmer]

I have two fields of soys planted and would have some corn in if the planter hadn't broke. The big boys are going to it fast as possible. I'd say 50% of both corn and soys are planted in this area.

 

[rrlund]

I saw the big dairy's planter go by last night. They said on Ag Day this morning that 29% had been planted in Michigan as of Sunday. I don't like to plant before Mothers Day because of soil temps, but that's coming up Sunday already. I'll probably call Lyle in the morning and have him send out a load of fertilizer and get started.

 

[J.Wondergem]

Let her rip, potato chip. LOL.

 

[paul]

Some folks west of me were planting corn on April 9th. Been fry for us,but the ground is nice and moist, but very cold nights since. We have a frost watch for tonight, 34 degree low many of our peat bogs will be much colder.

I dont see any corn up yet. I do hear of people already getting replant corn and soybean seed......

I got half my corn in. Many are about done, and started beans around me.

Cool and dry, Id plant.

Paul

 

[RayP(MI)]

Gt my oats in a couple days after the last rain. Had to put them on hold for a couple until ground dried out so the drill would not mud up, blocking the drop tubes.
Oats came up OK, and are about 3 and stalled. Now I need moisture! Been almost 2 weeks with out hardly any rain. Forecasts say were to get, but keeps going north and south of us. Hay land the same. Can see where I drove on it to broadcast fertilizer two weeks ago. Hay growth stalled too. Can see where some of the grasses were frosted. Not in a rush to plant garden until this cold dry thing breaks. See most of the BTO planting not progressing either.

 

[rrlund]

I got my oats in Good Friday. They look good, but like you said, stalled.