News

Continue to monitor fields planted in cool, wet conditions

Many farmers are making planting progress in the Eastern Corn Belt despite wet conditions.

Matt Hutcheson is a product manager for Ohio-based Seed Consultants.  

“We had some cold and wet weather and some snow, and extreme weather in some areas so that kept people out of the field for awhile, but there’s definitely been a lot of progress made over the last few weeks in terms of getting the crop planted,” he says.

 He tells Brownfield farmers should monitor fields planted right before the cooler temperatures.  

“The first 36-48 hours the seed is in the ground is a critical period,” he says. “That’s when the seed is susceptible to chilling injury or cold shock.”

Hutcheson says it may take five to seven days to determine if there is any damage and farmers should continue to assess whether the crop is progressing.