Many farmers in eastern Indiana are now in a wait and “see what happens” mode with much of their planting completed. In Jay County during a HAT Field Update Monday Jim Lochtefeld said his 1600 acres are all planted and overall the area has about 90 percent of the acres planted.
As it has been for many growers this year, it was an early start and early finish for Lochtefeld.
“This is the earliest I’ve ever started and the earliest I’ve ever been done. We started around the 4th of April and were done last Monday, the 23rd. The conditions were right so we just kept going. We did have some corn that was already out of the ground that got nipped a little bit by frost. I think it’s going to be alright. Our biggest problem is that we had one field get hit by hail but I think hopefully it will recover too if we get some heat.”
In addition to hoping for conditions to warm up, more rain is needed in Jay County, and Lochtefeld didn’t get much over the weekend.
“We only had about two tenths of an inch of rain over the weekend and it’s actually getting pretty dry. There’s subsoil moisture there. It’s just the top three inches that are pretty dry. We’ve got everything in the ground so we’re just waiting for everything to come up. The majority of the corn is popping through right now but beans are still just sitting in the ground waiting for some heat. Hopefully they’ll be up by the end of the week.”
He added that they’re not in dire need of rain, but “there are some spots that got dried out and are probably going to need a good shot to get everything germinated.”
Lochtefeld grows corn, soybeans, and wheat in addition to raising laying hens and a wean to finish pig operation. Hear more in the HAT Field Update at the Agronomy page, sponsored by Advanced Ag Solutions.[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/04/Early-start-and-finish-for-Lochtefeld.mp3|titles=Early start and finish for Lochtefeld]