Each year, farmers feel pressured to get into the field in a “timely” manner to complete planting. But what actually constitutes a timely planting season?
“When they say timely, what they kind of mean is early,” shares Lance Tarchionne, Bayer Technical Agronomist.
“I would consider May 10 to be timely. Most farmers would not consider May 10 to be timely because once you get out of April and into May, people start feeling a lot of pressure. We end up making questionable agronomic decisions about when we do things because of that pressure we put on ourselves.”
Tarchionne adds that planting date has less impact on U.S. average corn yield than many might think.
“If you do a planting date study in a particular field, the results will probably show that the best time to plant corn is somewhere between April 20 and May 15. But there’s not a dramatic drop-off in corn yield—especially in central Illinois—until we get past May 15 or May 20. Other parts of the country could be different.”
After a dry fall and winter, spring storms have helped replenish soil moisture ahead of planting season.
