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According to Michigan’s Crop Progress Report on Monday, 5 percent of the state’s corn and soybeans have been planted. As more and more farmers are headed to the field, planter depth might be in question.
“I always tell growers to err on the deeper side,” said Gary Brinkman, Pioneer agronomist. “We’ve got reams of data that reinforce that when I plant shallow, I’m not going to get as uniform of emergence or as rapid of emergence.”
Brinkman says that since there’s a lot of dryness in the state, planting too shallow would not be beneficial.
“On many of my soils, I would be targeting two-inch soil depth,” he said. “If we do get another cold spell, the advantage of that [would be] the soil temps at two inches are generally pretty favorable—that two inches buffers that seed so well.”
Growers need to create the foundation for high yields in the fall this spring. Aside from planting depth, timing of nutrient application is also critical.
“As growers take that next yield level on as their new goals, we’re going to have to be a little more timely in nutrient applications, especially in N,” said Brinkman. “One of the factors we’re seeing that’s playing a huge role in driving us to the next level would be potash levels.”
Above all, Brinkman says with favorable weather, growers should take their time.
“I reinforce this to growers, don’t get in a hurry,” he said. “We’ve got a window that looks really great—don’t get in a hurry. We compromise safety issues when we get in a hurry, and we don’t want to do that.”