Farmers have not only had problems with planting this spring due to the rain, but so have the host farmers at the Farm Progress Show. And their corn must be ready for harvest at the end of August.
Stu Ellis is on the Road to Farm Progress and updates us on planting at Progress City…
Stu Ellis
The challenge is to have corn ready for harvest demonstrations the last week in August. And host farmer Marc Padrutt was able to plant some short season corn last week…
Marc Padrutt
You probably would like to have planted 5 weeks ago….5 weeks ago we would liked to have been done in April if we could but it didn’t work out that way.
Stu Ellis
So how are field conditions, finally?
Marc Padrutt
Improving, not ideal but plantable
Stu Ellis
Now you are certainly not planting a full season corn
Marc Padrutt
No, we’ve got 86 day corn right here.
Stu Ellis
That will be black-layered when?
Mark Padrutt
We hope mid-august. We are just trying to set the stage for a successful farm progress show
StuEllis
And to help ensure good crop emergence in challenging soil, Deere planter specialist Matt Watson was on hand
Matt Watson
Kind of a balancing act between down force. He did not have enough downforce to actually get the seed to the depth, especially with some of the clods we have to work with. Also we have to make sure we don’t get too much downforce, otherwise we’ll have sidewall compaction. Just kind of a fine line we have to get to the depth. Also the row cleaners, we have to make sure the row cleaners are doing a good enough job getting the brush on the top and getting the clods out of the way. But again we don’t
want to get too deep and start creating furrows especially with the rain coming in here in the next couple days.
Stu Ellis
So how deep did you plant with the rain coming in
Matt Watson
Just shy of 2 inches. About one and three quarters or so, assuming its going to rain.
Stu Ellis
We’re on the Road to Farm Progress with regular Thursday updates on what will happen this year at the show August 27 to 29. I’m Stu Ellis with WCIA3 your local news leader.
