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Southwest Michigan farmer starting to plant

A Michigan farmer says he’s getting a jump start on corn planting before this week’s rain.

Jay Drozd grows corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. From the tractor cab, he tells Brownfield he’s making headway planting on sandier soils, but field conditions are touch and go.  “There’s only a handful of guys in the area that are starting with the forecast that we have ahead of us this next week.  A lot of guys are going to wait and see what that rain and cold weather does before they start up again.”  He says right now, planting progress is right about average, but rain predicted over the next two weeks could push that back to later than normal.

Drozd says weed pressures look like they could be an issue this year.  “You can tell we’re going to have a chickweed problem.  Chickweed generates usually a few insect pests being a problem.  That’s been kind of a concern.  Typically when it gets growing as much as it has, it does effect the drying of the soil.”

Drozd says patience is necessary at the beginning of the growing season, but his goal is to have fields planted by Memorial Day.

AUDIO: Interview with Jay Drozd