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Thumb of Michigan | We were asked to participate in a soy planting trial a number of years ago. Company was treating soy seed with an Intellicoat type product. Planted a few soys each month from Dec to May. Couldn't go in Feb, drill wouldn't go through the frost. Was able to go the rest of the time, though. This was no-till for what thats worth. We were really excited about the potential, but the company pulled the plug on the project in August. Decided that the additional $30/ acre for the treatment wouldn't be marketable. Couldn't see where we'd lost any stand or yield potential across the plot come harvest time. Anyway, we didn't have access to a weigh wagon or scales, so we harvested the whole field. Was just pulling out when the company rep called and said he would be there in 2 days with a wagon, they'd changed their minds. We decided that we were going to have to wing it on our own if we wanted to try that again.
Following March, we had a window to get into some corn stalks and plant some bin run seed (non-GMO!!!). Planted 10 acres or so, put some of the neighbors very close to cardiac arrest. Rest of field was planted early May. No difference in yield. You can look at it anyway you want to, but did have one neighbor ripped into us because he just knew that we wouldn't get extra yield, so why did we even do it. We were very encouraged because we didn't lose yield. Glass half full and all that stuff. Thats been the story every time we've planted in March since then. No measurable yield gain or loss, and we've planted up to 25% of our acres in March over the years as long as conditions are right. Only time we did have a measurable loss was when we split a 40 that was soy after soy, no cover crop. We lost close to 10 bu March vs May. This is going to be area and soil type dependant, but in that case we feel it was probably lack of cover. The yield loss didn't happen in soy after soy with rye, and it didn't happen in soy after corn. My comparables were all the same variety, all planted within 24 hrs of each other. All the same soil types, but they weren't all in the same field. In our conditions, we theorize that the verticle residue held the heat longer into the night in early spring vs the field w/o much residue. Really not all that unique, most of the vegetable growers just north of me regularly put 2-3 ft wide strips of rye out in the fall, and plant veggies in between the strips in the spring. Not only keeps heat around a little better, keeps the wind from beating the plants up. The soy after soy plot had more disease (wind whips the plant, opens up a wound at ground level), thinner stands, and experianced noticible frost symptoms early on. Again, only a theory, but for what its worth, we won't try early soys in a field w/o a lot of cover again.
Long story short, early corn (whatever that may be) scares me a little bit, maybe because I've had some yield losses every time I plant in early April. Sometimes not much of a yield hit, but the potential is always there. Corn isn't all that tough of a plant "here", I have to have it out of the ground and running if I want to harvest it that same year at a reasonable moisture. We've had corn lay in the ground 5 weeks and still make a pretty good crop, but could have been better. On the other hand, soys seem to be an awful lot tougher than I've given them credit for. Ultimately, we never wait for a certain soil temp to plant any crop, we go when its dry enough. If its dry enough in late March-early April, I plant soys. I think its a little early for us to plant corn then. And another time honored tradition we use here (I'm certain it doesn't apply anywhere else) is something a good friend once pointed out to me-
"Nothing dries the ground out like the neighbor going to the field" | |
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Planting dates for corn & SB and frost
