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Agronomist urges patience with planting

Planting season seems to start a little earlier every year.  And with today’s large planting equipment, it can be over in a matter of days. 

Channel Seeds agronomist Brad Hammes is urging growers to be patient when it comes to planting their crop.  He says growers need to ask themselves—would I rather replant the crop or wait a few days?

“If you have one day where maybe the soil wasn’t quite as fit-I actually ran the numbers based on commodity prices now and 15 years ago-you are looking at 30 thousand dollars of increased risk with just a 10 percent yield loss,” says Hammes, “From having poor soil conditions on the day you are going to go out and plant.”

Hammes points out that an 8-row planter in the mid-90’s planted 100 acres in a 12-hour day, while today’s 48-row planters can cover 700 acres in a single day.  But, Hammes says, faster planting can also mean increased risk.

“And nobody likes to do either. If you can see out the window and see it’s a beautiful sunny day in April, and you want to get out and get after it-it doesn’t mean the soil is quite ready. And it doesn’t mean that there might be severe weather in the near future.” 

Hammes is located in northeast Iowa.