DuPont Pioneer Agronomy Update 4/10/17
With a weekend of warm weather and windy conditions to dry out soils, planters are rolling in some parts of Indiana. According the a USDA report on Monday, Indiana has no significant amount of corn planted as of April 9. The 5 year average has 2% of the Hoosier crop planted by this date. Of the 18 major corn producing states, 3% of the crop has been planted, on par with the 5 year average and 1% behind last year.
Ryan Piel, with Dupont Pioneer, says fields are drying out enough to let planters roll in the northern part of Indiana, “I started seeing field activity over the weekend and it continued on Monday in some areas.” He said most of the activity is taking place on the sandy soils and, after last year, growers are anxious to get an early start on these fields, “They tend to dry out quickly in summer, so planting these fields as soon as possible will help insure a good crop.”
Piel says, however, there are many areas that are still too wet to plant and, with more rain in the forecast, it is going to be a start and stop planting season this year, “Mother Nature is still in control, so you never know what the right decision is. We are definitely warmer than we were last year and things are starting to dry out.” He added that burndown is a top priority since the late March moisture has given weeds a good start.