Stay with Corn in Spite of Rain Delays

Stay with corn in spite of rain delays

COLUMBIA, Mo. - "Stick with corn in spite of rain delays. I've said it before and I'll say it again," said Bill Wiebold, University of Missouri Extension agronomist.
Farmers considering switching to planting soybeans are urged to stay with their original plans.
"Even in the last USDA planting intentions report, there was not enough corn acreage to supply all of the demand," Wiebold said. "We will need all of the corn acres we can grow."
Wiebold admitted that rain-delayed plantings may yield lower than if corn had been planted in April. "What most people don't consider is that soybean yields start to decline with delayed plantings also."
The May 11 crop report of the Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service showed 34 percent of the corn was planted. That compares with 63 percent last year and 83 percent normally.
"I get some flak for recommending late-planted corn," Wiebold said. "But the original decision was probably a good one.
"I ask farmers to think back to their decision-making process last December when they were sitting at the kitchen table. That decision was made for good reason and it is a better decision than a hasty change of plans made under stress in May.
"Farmers wanting to buy soybean seed this late in the season will have difficulty finding quality seed. The best seed varieties were sold out early in the season."
Date-of-planting studies at the MU Bradford Farm in Columbia show that corn planted in mid-May may lose about 15 percent in yield compared with the earliest planting date.
The final corn yield depends on the weather in early July at the time the corn plants are trying to pollinate the kernels on the cob. Drought and hot weather at that time can reduce yields markedly.
"If cool weather with rain comes when corn pollinates, we could still have a bumper crop," Wiebold said. "The best thing a farmer could wish for is that all of the fireworks displays on the Fourth of July would be rained out."
A late shift from a corn crop to soybeans would probably throw away previously applied investments, Wiebold said. If nitrogen fertilizer has already been applied, that would mean throwing away $100 to $150 per acre.
A soybean crop, unlike corn, does not need nitrogen fertilizer. The soybean plant, a legume, collects nitrogen from the air. In addition, fall-applied herbicides to control weeds in cornfields this spring may prevent planting a soybean crop. The soybean is a broadleaf plant, similar to most weeds.
High prices still make corn a profitable investment, Wiebold said. "I'm not an economist, but a corn price near $6 a bushel on the futures market has to be considered. There are lots of reasons for sticking with corn plantings through the month of May."
MU Extension climatologist Pat Guinan says weather patterns in the third week of May suggest a shift away from the frequent rains of the past three months to a week without precipitation. Northern Missouri, where much of the state's corn is planted, will dry out sooner than the southern half of the state.
"With a week of dry weather, we can get most of the crop planted," Wiebold said.
Wayne Crooks, an MU Extension regional agronomist at Keytesville who works with farmers along the Missouri River, said, "When the weather dries, don't stand in front of a farmer. You will be run over."