Late Corn Planting Perspective
Russ Barker, a Crop Quest Nutrient Management Planner and Certified Crop Advisor with a 4R Specialist designation, discusses the challenges of late corn planting and gives advice as to how to proceed if you do decide to plant under these conditions.
We recently spoke again with Russ Barker who is one of our Crop Quest Planners and also a Certified Crop Advisor with a 4R Specialist designation. Russ explained that he is fairly certain that for the bulk of Ontario planting progress has been stalled out. Not that it actually gained much momentum in many areas. Russ has recently filmed two videos with his views on the current state of affairs and explains in his own words where he believes corn planting currently stands.
1. Late Corn Planting Perspective
I can’t remember a year where such a large % of the province’s corn crop is still in the bag on May 20. In addition there appears to be little relief in the weather forecast that will allow us to get much done this week. It could easily become June 1 before the next planting window opens. Throughout the big acreage area of the “Ontario corn belt” the amount of acres in a hold pattern is unprecedented.
There is a risk of hanging on too long with full season corn hybrids. We are definitely now faced with adjusting maturity choices in corn. I personally pulled the pin on several full season hybrids this past week. I have a truck coming tomorrow with some 2850 HU corn, but I know right now it won’t be enough to satisfy the need.
One thing that helps is the fact that corn development happens quicker with late planting dates. The amount of heat required to get a corn hybrid to tassel and final maturity is less when that hybrid is planted in June.
For cash crop producers the additional question becomes, why plant corn at all? To be honest, I have been asking myself this question for 10 days and at the moment my intended corn acreage is tentatively shrinking. Edible bean and IP soybeans seed supplies are pretty much gone. RR soybeans are becoming the only game in town. Whatever you decide to do I can help to work with you to meet your expectations.
2. OK, Now What?
Corn needs to be planted. What should we think about? Corn silage and cob meal producers still have flexibility. For the cash grain producer it simply comes down to maturity risk management. Hoping for a nice hot summer to save the day is not a smart play in my opinion. When I consider which hybrids to bring in for switching purposes I don’t have much wiggle room to get fancy with hybrid characteristics. There is simply no time to get side tracked in the minutia of hybrid selection. For switching purposes I focus on the big volume hybrids where there is inventory flexibility. That shortens the availability list. In my experience big volume hybrids are also dependable hybrids. Otherwise they would not be big volume hybrids.
If the option is open I will shade toward selecting a hybrid with higher test weight to protect grain quality.
After maturity I don’t think there is a much to adjust. Data on population by planting date, which has been done indicates that planting rates should stay close to the same regardless of planting date.
If hybrid A maximizes yield response at 32,000 it makes little difference when you plant that hybrid.
If it is a big tall hybrid cutting back 5% on population would make sense. Corn hybrids planted in June will grow taller than when planted in May.
Fertility is not something I would fuss over with late planting in this local environment.
I am of the opinion that once you decide to plant a crop, treat it like a normal crop.
It goes without saying that getting seed in the ground is the number one priority. Spraying and fertilizing can be done after planting.
