From sunburns in 80° weather on Saturday to snowflakes on Monday- this is spring weather in Indiana! Depending on where you are in the state, weekend rain could be keeping you out of your fields for the time being, but some are getting seed in the ground.
Agronomist Jason Geis covers Southeast Indiana for Pioneer. He says he’s been getting a lot of calls already this week from farmers asking whether or not they should get that planter rolling.
“Some of that rain actually kind of fizzled out. There were a few pockets just south of me that got over two inches Friday night, Friday evening, but it was pretty isolated. And then for me, sitting just east of Greensburg, I can just barely see the rain in my gauge after yesterday. So, even looking at the forecast later this week, a lot of guys are saying, ‘Hey, soils are still fit. It’s cold. Should I keep going? What should I do?”
The answer to that question is difficult, Geis admits, especially with the ever-changing forecast. He says one thing you absolutely have to make sure of is that you’re not causing issues you’ll have to deal with all season long like compaction.
“We can argue about what the most important pass across the field is. We can cuss and discuss that as much as we want, but planting really sets the stage for the remainder of the season. So, just keep those things in mind before you pull the planter across the field. Make sure that soils are fit and do everything you can to try to start the growing season solid out of the gate.”
Geis has been watching closely soil temps and the predicted GDU forecast to help make that decision as well.
“I always like to go in and plant with a warming trend. We kind of shoot for that roughly 50 degree soil temp mark, and I like to see a warming trend in the forecast because the faster the seeds come out of the ground, the less time they’re exposed to pathogens and insects that might impact germination and emergence.”
The farther south you go in Indiana, the more planters you’ll find in fields. As Geis travels his area for Pioneer, he says there’s much more planting activity as you get down in Washington and Orange counties. He adds that in conversations with colleagues, they predict that 25% of soybeans and about 10% of corn may already be in the ground in the southwest corner of the state.
If you have questions and want to chat with your local Pioneer team, visit pioneer.com/FINDMYREP.
