(Lakefield, Mn.)– Soil temperatures are still too cold as of now for any spring planting, but with warmer temperatures in the forecast, that will soon likely change. Jim Nesseth of Extended Ag Services in Lakefield says high temperatures are expected to return to the 70’s over the upcoming weekend and will continue well into next week. He says that will be enough to boost soil temperatures to a range suitable for planting. As a result Nesseth says he wouldn’t be surprised to see planters rolling through some fields early next week already…
“Every so often, you know, through a four, five year period you’ll get that where you kind of have a dry March and you know, the snow cover’s gone and the frost is gone and we’ve had enough rain where I think we’re pretty confident the frost is gone and things have dried out with these windy days the past couple of days. And so soil conditions are probably going to look pretty good going into next week and, you know, maybe the weekend and then if that temperature gets higher. You know I think some guys will probably try planting some corn next week. And some guys are probably just going to say hey, it’s too early, let’s wait a couple of weeks. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Nesseth says research is out there that definitely shows the benefits of planting early and the impact on yields…
“There’s just a lot of land grant information and data that supports early planting dates, and so if you can get through that without having any problems, and I think with our drier soil conditions the risk is less. But ideal planting dates, Steve, are basically for corn is that third to fourth week of April. That just kind of seems to be that sweet spot there, and for soybeans if you get some at the end of April, that first week in May, history just kind of shows that those planting dates usually translate to higher yields.”
When it comes to early planting corn and soybeans, Nesseth does recommend you check the dates on your crop insurance policy for replanting. By planting prior to those dates, Nesseth says you could be forfeiting some coverage in the event you have stand issues and would need to do any replanting. Nesseth says he’s never experienced much of that, however.
