Tuesday February 19 Ag News

Beef Feedlot Roundtable In West Point Cancelled

Due to the pending winter storm this week, the UNL Extension Beef Feedlot Roundtable, scheduled for Thursday February 21 2012 in West Point, has been cancelled. 



Senator Johanns Weather Update
Senator Mike Johanns

Due to inclement weather that has been forecast for our state, the following Community Coffees have been canceled. I look forward to rescheduling these events in the near future. Please stay safe over these next few days and take the appropriate precautions when traveling on snowy and ice roads. While this winter storm may alter many travel plans, I know the moisture is much needed for our farmers and ranchers, who are still feeling the effects of the historic drought we are experiencing. 

Wednesday, February 20
What: Community Coffee in Taylor When: 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Where: Lazy D Restaurant and Lounge, 308 3rd St. CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER
What: Community Coffee in Ericson When: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Where: Ranche Café, 509 Highway 91 CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER
What: Community Coffee in Columbus When: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Where: New World Inn, 265 33rd Ave.  CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

Thursday, February 21
What: Community Coffee in Norfolk When: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Where: Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, 609 W. Norfolk Ave. CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

As always, to share your opinions, questions, or comments you can contact my offices.



Farmers Co-op Holds Annual Meeting Tuesday

About 80 patrons gathered at the American Legion in Norfolk Tuesday afternoon for the annual meeting of Farmers Cooperative of Pilger, Winside, and Stanton.  Three individuals were re-elected to the board of directors, including David Claus, and Leon Husmann.  Board member Paul Goetsch retired from the board, so a special election was held to fill the remaining time of his term, and Reggie Gnirk was elected by the members.  Manager Jerry Wyatt took patrons throught the financial statements of the co-op.  He says all sales for their latest fiscal year totalled 61.8 million dollars, compaired to 68.3 million dollars in the prior year.  Sales include corn, soybeans, dry and liquid fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, chemicals and seed, feed, hardware, groceries, energy including gasoline, diesel, and propane, tires, oil, and grease.  Gross savings for the coop were 2.18 million dollars, but when operating expenses, taxes, and patronage from other coops are figured in, net savings came in at 205-thousand dollars for the year, down from 726-thousand from the previous year.  Because of the drought and reduced grain sales, coop leadership decided not to issue any local patronage back to producers this year.  The coop sold six million dollars less corn and about a million dollars less soybeans this past year compared to the year prior.  Wyatt says the coop is in great financial shape, with very little long term debt and long term accounts receivable. 



Nebraska Cattlemen Seek Input on Proposed State Beef Check Off
The concept of a state beef check off in Nebraska will be the headline for a series of 9 meetings to be held this year across the state by the Nebraska Cattlemen. “The meetings will explain how the current national check off works and why Nebraska Cattlemen is proposing a state assessment, and to seek input on how additional dollars would be spent,” said State Beef Checkoff working group head, Dave Hamilton of Thedford.

The checkoff would assess producers to fund beef advertising and promotion, consumer information and other programs in Nebraska.  Hamilton said, “The proposal that was brought forth suggests a $1-per-head checkoff, which would mean $2 per head when the existing national checkoff is taken into account”. The checkoff would be mandatory, although producers could request a refund.

“Times are changing and in order to successfully reach today’s dynamic consumer, it will require an additional check off in the state”, said Hamilton.

All meetings will be held from 6:00pm – 8:00pm local time. The schedule is as follows:
-    February 25th – Columbus, NE at Wunderlichs
-    March 4th – Atkinson, NE at Atkinson Community Center
-    March 5th – Burwell, NE at Burwell Livestock Auction
-    March 11th - Clatonia, NE at Clatonia Community Center
-    March 12th – Wisner, NE City Auditorium
-    March 19th - Arapahoe, NE at Ella Missing Community Center
-    March 21st – Ogallala, NE at Ogallala Livestock Market
-    March 25th – Alliance, NE at Westside Event Center
-    March 26th - Thedford, NE at Brahmer’s Restaurant

“We want to gather input from cattlemen across the state, so we are encouraging all producers to attend a meeting,” said Michael Kelsey, Nebraska Cattlemen Executive Vice President. If a majority of cattlemen approve, Nebraska Cattlemen will then pursue legislation in the 2014 Nebraska legislature to establish a state checkoff.

For more information about the meeting schedule please contact the Nebraska Cattlemen office at 402.475.2333.



Beck Tractor & Equipment Honored by Vermeer Corporation

Beck Tractor & Equipment in Scribner, NE, has received the coveted “Vermeer Platnum Master Dealer” award from Vermeer Corporaton, the Pella, Iowa-based company. Vermeer Forage Dealers earn Platnum Master’s status by reaching or exceeding specifc sales, service and dealership management criteria established by the manufacturer.

As a Vermeer Platnum Master Dealer, Beck Tractor & Equipment ofers hay and forage customers an industry-leading dealer resource, with outstanding forage knowledge and exceptonal service skills.

Beck Tractor & Equipment accepted this prestgious award for their Vermeer dealership. Dean and Don Beck reinforces their company’s passion for quality service and support. “At Beck Tractor & Equipment, we understand the importance of excellent customer service – from the tme of sale and throughout the ownership of the equipment,” asserted Dean Beck. “We are proud to be a Vermeer dealer, and we work hard to uphold the standard associated with the status of a Platnum Master dealer by providing our customers with an experienced sales and service staf, and ensuring we understand and meet their unique needs. As Vermeer dealers for 20 years, we would like to thank our loyal customers for their contnued support to make this award possible.”



NE FARM NUMBERS SHOW SMALL DECLINE

Nebraska's number of farms and ranches declined less than 1 percent during 2012, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.  The number of farms and ranches in the State, at 46,700, was down  100 farms from 2011.  Numbers of farms and ranches in Nebraska with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales declined 1,200 farms, while operations with more than $100,000 were up 1,100 farms.  The decline in smaller farms was in part the result of existing farms moving into higher sales categories.  

Land in farms and ranches in Nebraska totaled 45.5 million acres, unchanged from last year.  The average size of operation, at 974 acres, increased by 2 acres from 2011.

Iowa Farm Numbers Down from 2011
During 2012 the number of farms in Iowa was 92,200 according to the latest USDA NASS Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations  report.   This was  down  100  farms  from  the  previous  year.  Total  land  in  farms was  unchanged from 2011 at 30.7 million acres. Average farm size remained at 333 acres. 

In  Iowa  the number of farms  in both  the highest sales class ($500,000 and over) and  the $250,000‐$499,999 sales class increased from 2011, while the number of farms in the three lower sales classes decreased.  In 2012 the number of farms in the highest sales class, with sales of $500,000 or more, increased by 1500 farms, to 11,500. The number of farms with sales of $250,000‐$499,999 increased by 500 farms, to 10,000. In 2012 there were 29,500 farms in the lowest sales class, a decrease of 500 from the previous year, and the number of farms in the $10,000‐$99,999 sales class decreased by 1,200, to 27,200 farms. 

2012 Number of Farms and Land in Farms Highlights
The number of farms in the United States in 2012 is estimated at 2.2 million, down 11,630 farms from 2011. Total land in farms, at 914 million acres, decreased 3 million acres from 2011. The average farm size is 421 acres, up 1 acre from the previous year.

Farm numbers and land in farms are differentiated by five economic sales classes. Farms and ranches are classified into these "sales classes" by summing sales of agricultural products and government program payments. Sales class breaks occur at $10,000, $100,000, $250,000, and $500,000.

Farm numbers in the $500,000 and over sales class increased by 8.6 percent, to 145,190 farms. Higher commodity prices and larger value of sales contributed to changes in the number of farms within these sales classes. Meanwhile, the number of farms in the $1,000 - $9,999 sales class decreased by 2.5 percent to 1,172,200. Farm numbers increased slightly in the $10,000 - $99,999 sales class to slightly over 600,000 farms. The number of farms in the $100,000 - $249,999 and $250,000 - $499,999 sales classes increased 1.9 and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Land in farms increased in the largest sales class while decreasing in all other sales classes. Land operated by farms in the $500,000 & over sales class increased 3.7 percent, to 317.1 million acres. Land operated by farms in the $1,000-$9,999 sales class decreased by 3.9 percent, to slightly less than 97 million acres. Land in farms in the $10,000 - $99,999, $100,000 - $249,999 and $250,000 - $499,999 sales classes decreased by 1.4, 2.6 and 2.4 percent respectively.

The average farm size increased 1 acre in 2012 to 421 acres per farm. However, average farm sizes declined in all sales classes partially due to smaller farms moving up to higher sales classes.

2012 Livestock Operations Highlights
The number of operations with cattle totaled 915,000 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011.  Beef cow operations in 2012, at 729,000, were also down 1 percent from last year. The number of milk cow operations for 2012 totaled 58,000, down 3 percent from 2011.

The three operation classes:  Cattle, beef cows, and milk cows, are classified into size groups independently. Therefore, it is possible to have more beef cow operations in a particular size group than cattle operations. As an example, an operator with 75 cattle and 40 beef cows would be classified in the 50-99 size group for cattle and 1-49 size group for beef cows.

The number of operations with hogs totaled 68,300 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. Places with 2,000 or more head accounted for 87 percent of the inventory.   

The number of operations with sheep totaled 79,500 for 2012, down 1 percent from 2011. Of all sheep operations that include breeding sheep, 93.9 percent were comprised of 1-99 head, 5.0 percent had 100-499 head, and the remaining 1.1 percent were operations with 500 head or more. Operations with 1-99 head account for 35.5 percent of the inventory, 100-499 head account for 21.1 percent of the inventory, and 500+ head account for 43.4 percent of the inventory.

The number of operations with goats totaled 149,000 for 2012, down 1 percent from a year earlier. Angora goat operations totaled 5,300, down 4 percent from 2011. Milk goat operations totaled 30,500, down 2 percent from 2011. Meat goat operations totaled 123,000, down 1 percent from a year earlier. Total goat operations will be equal to or less than the sum of angora, milk and meat goat operations since places which own more than one goat type count as only one operation.



Referendum to Increase Iowa Sheep Assessment Scheduled

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Sheep Industry Association today announced plans to conduct a referendum from Feb. 25 to March 15.

As part of the referendum, all eligible producers will be able to vote on two questions, the first is whether the $.10 per head assessment on all sheep sold should be increased to $.25. The second question would allow the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board, beginning in 2016, to change the assessment rate by $.05 every three years. The Board would only be granted this authority if producers approve increasing the assessment to $.25 and the board could only make such changes by resolution only following a producer comment period.

Any producer who is actively engaged within this state in the business of producing or marketing sheep or wool and who receives income from the production of sheep or wool is eligible to participate in the referendum and is entitled to one vote.

Farmer may vote in the Iowa State University Extension office in the county in which they live. When voting each farmer will have to sign an affidavit stating they are a producer eligible to vote or provide proof of their county of residence and a sheep or wool sales receipt from the previous 12 months.

The current Sheep and Wool assessment is $.10 per head on each sheep sold by a producer and $.02 per pound of wool sold by a producer. The Iowa Sheep and Wool promotion board is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 182, which was initially passed in 1985 and was updated last year to allow for the current referendum to increase the assessment rate.

Producer with questions about the procedures or eligibility for voting in this referendum can contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515/281-5321 or by e-mail to sheepvote@iowaagriculture.gov.

For more information on how funds generated by the assessment are used, Iowans can contact the Iowa Sheep Industry Association at 712-790-6303 or via email at info@iowasheep.com or find out more online at www.iowasheep.com.

In accordance with Iowa Code, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is responsible for holding referendum votes and all costs incurred by the Department will be reimbursed by the Iowa Sheep Industry Association.



Nominations Sought for Iowa Farm Environmental Awards

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds Monday were joined by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Director Chuck Gipp from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to announce that nominations are open for the 2013 Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards.

Nominations are due by June 15 and the nomination form can be found online.

"These awards are an opportunity to recognize the many farmers that are taking significant voluntary steps to protect the soil and improve water quality here in Iowa," Branstad said. "Iowa farmers take great pride in caring for the soil and water, and we want to lift them up as examples for other farmers to follow."

"Iowa is fortunate to be at the forefront in agriculture and to keep our leadership position we must protect and conserve our state's natural resources and fertile soil for future generations," Reynolds said. "Agriculture plays a critical role to Iowa's global competitiveness and economic status."

The award is a joint effort between the Governor, Lt. Governor, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources to recognize the efforts of Iowa's farmers as environmental leaders committed to healthy soils and improved water quality.

It seeks to recognize the exemplary voluntary actions of farmers that improve or protect the environment and natural resources of our state while also encouraging other farmers to follow in their footsteps by building success upon success.

Farmers that are nominated should have made environmental stewardship a priority on their farm and adopted best management practices throughout their farming operation. As true stewards of the land, they recognize that improved water quality and soil sustainability reaps benefits that extend beyond their fields to citizens of Iowa and residents even further downstream.

"A critical component of the recently revealed Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is to increase the amount of voluntary, science-based conservation practices that are on the landscape," Northey said. "Recognizing farmers who are taking the lead in conservation is a way to encourage others to consider adopting some of the same practices on their land."

An appointed committee of representatives from both conservation and agricultural groups will review the nominations and select the winners. The recipients will be recognized at the Iowa State Fair.

The award was created in 2012 and 67 Iowa farm families were recognized during the inaugural award ceremony at the Iowa State Fair. Winners receive a certificate as well as a yard sign donated by Monsanto.



Errors Force Reissue of 2012 1099 Forms from NRCS

The 2012 IRS 1099 forms issued to farmers and ranchers who received NRCS financial assistance are incorrect and are scheduled to be reissued by USDA's Office of the Chief Financial Officer in March.

The IRS forms issued in January may either be in the wrong amount or no 1099 was issued when one should have been.

Important data to produce correct 1099 information was left out when a system change took place May 1, 2012, and NRCS financial experts are working with the USDA's Controller Operations Division to help get the thousands of 1099s to the appropriate people as quickly as possible.

At this time there is no guaranteed date by which the 1099s will be delivered, although they expect to be released March 8. USDA is working to ensure a quick turnaround so that the 1099 mailing is expedited. The Chief Financial Officer will keep NRCS officials informed as this issue is resolved.

Contact your Local Service Center for more information at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/. 



ASA Joins Fellow Farm Groups in Opposing Lopsided Farm Program Cuts

In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this morning, the American Soybean Association (ASA) joined 11 other national farm groups in opposing disproportionate cuts to farm programs as part of the recently-introduced American Family Economic Protection Act advanced by Senate Democrats to avert cuts under the sequestration set to take effect March 1.

The proposal would cut $27 billion dollars from agriculture spending, however the cuts would come entirely from commodity programs under Title 1 of the farm bill, a lopsided approach opposed by ASA and other farm groups. "While we understand the goal of passing legislation to avoid budget sequestration, your proposal takes all of the budget savings from just one section of farm bill," stated the groups in the letter. "The fact that this proposal, if adopted, would simply delay sequestration until January 2014, in hopes that a larger long-term deficit reduction deal could be reached by Congress and the White House has us very concerned that agriculture is the only non-defense budget sector being cut while other sectors are not touched."

The groups pointed out the detrimental impact that cuts from only one aspect of agriculture programs could potentially have. "Your proposed legislation seriously undermines efforts to advance much needed reforms to meet the long term risk management needs of America’s family farms," wrote the groups. "The prospect of multi-year crop disasters coupled with projections of sharp declines in commodity prices over the next few years are widely acknowledged as serious threats to the stability of farm income. With an appropriate level of resources, more efficient and market oriented risk management tools can better address the gaps in protection not covered by crop insurance. Conversely, inadequate funding to restructure the farm bill commodity title will almost certainly eliminate options to reform the farm safety net in a long term fiscally responsible manner."

The groups also highlighted concerns that cuts to farm programs in the bill were proposed not by Senate Agriculture Committee leaders, but by those on the Senate Budget Committee. "We believe decisions on which programs to cut and which to increase are far better made by the Senate Agriculture Committee through thoughtful deliberations on the needs of farmers and ranchers rather than in an omnibus bill," explained the groups. "Agriculture has been willing to accept its fair share of cuts to help reduce our nation’s unsustainable deficits. In fact, last year the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees offered to reduce spending by far more than our fair share under a new farm bill. As you know, the Senate passed a bill last summer that would have provided $23 billion in savings over the next ten years, while the House Agriculture Committee adopted legislation saving $35 billion over the same time period. While the $27 billion in reductions in your bill is in the same ballpark as the cuts achieved by both of those bills, both farm bill proposals spread the pain among various titles rather than requiring all of it be shouldered by just one title of the respective bills."



Diesel Prices Continue to Rise
(EIA)

The U.S. average retail price for on-highway diesel fuel rose to $4.16 a gallon on Monday.  That’s up 5.3 cents from a week ago, based on the weekly price survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.  Diesel prices were highest in the New England region at 4.33 a gallon, up 6.8 cents from a week ago.  Prices were lowest in the Rocky Mountain States at 4.03 a gallon, up 6.8 cents.  Diesel prices in the Midwest region for the week came in at $4.132/gallon, which is up 18.1 cents from the prior week and up 28.4 cents from last year.

Gasoline prices up this week
The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline rose to $3.75 a gallon on Monday.  That’s up almost 14 cents from a week ago, based on the weekly price survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.  Pump prices were highest in the West Coast region at 3.97 a gallon, up almost 11 cents from a week ago.  Prices were lowest in the Rocky Mountain States at 3.41 a gallon, up 13.5 cents.  Gasoline prices in the Midwest Region were $3.763/gallon, 18.1 cents higher than the previous week and 29.9 cents higher than one year ago. 



Japan Starts Older Beef Sales

Sales of U.S. beef from cattle aged up to 30 months started here Feb. 16.  Holding company Seven & I Holdings imported three tons of meat from U.S. cattle aged up to 30 months for sale at its Ito-Yokado and York-Benimaru supermarket chains. Three Ito-Yokado stores in Tokyo started sales Feb. 16, with two York-Benimaru stores in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, and one in Koriyama, Tochigi Prefecture, following suit the next day, Jiji Press reported.

U.S. beef will retail for around 20% to 50% less than when it was restricted to meat from cattle aged only up to 20 months. For example, a 100-gram package of U.S sirloin was being sold for 278 yen ($3) at the three Ito-Yokado stores, 30% less than last month's average price of 398 yen ($4.30), according to Jiji.

Seven & I Holdings plans to sell the older U.S. beef at all its stores by March. "It is said that the older the cattle is, the better the beef tastes," a company public relations official said, Jiji reported.

The Seiyu and Daiei supermarket chains also intend to begin selling older U.S. beef soon, Jiji reported.

Japan banned beef from the U.S. and Canada in 2003 because of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Beef from both countries started coming back in 2006, limited to meat from cattle aged 20 months or younger as an anti-BSE measure. The limit went up to 30 months February 1.



U.S. Poultry & Egg Exports Set New Records in 2012

Thanks in large part to the industry's ability to adapt to changing global marketplace dynamics, 2012 was a record-setting year for exports of U.S. poultry meat and eggs. Combined export value of poultry meat and eggs reached $5.722 billion in 2012, 12 percent ahead of 2011, the previous record year, according to year-end trade data released last week by the Foreign Agricultural Service.

"The global landscape is in a constant state of transition," said Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. "While our traditional markets of Mexico and Russia remained at the top of the broiler markets, there were numerous changes, such as Angola and Taiwan moving into the top 10 broiler markets and Mexico growth as a market for eggs. The greatest benefit for our industry is a much greater balance than we've ever before realised."

Sumner said the industry, which for years depended on a few behemoths such as Russia and China for a majority of its export sales, is now much less dependent on singular markets as new markets have opened and sales expand to the rest of the world.

"The only constant in the export marketplace is change," he said. "And fortunately, our industry is very good at adapting to these changes. In 2008, for example, we exported products to 109 countries. In 2012, we shipped to 121 countries."

For 2012, for example, double-digit declines in shipments of chicken meat to several markets, including Korea and Vietnam, were more than offset by increased sales to markets such as Mexico, Russia, Angola, Congo, Kazakhstan and Ghana.

The top six markets for broiler meat exports for 2012 were Mexico, 560,544 tons valued at $641.2 million, up 23 and 42 percent, respectively; Hong Kong, 296,085 tons valued at $396.2 million, down 46 and 47 percent; Russia, 266,995 tons valued at $301.7 million, up 25 and 23 percent; China, 239,897 tons valued at $283 million, up 149 and 137 percent; Angola, 182,027 tons valued at $214.4 million, up 11 and 18 percent; and Canada, 173,037 tons valued at $498.8 million, up 22 and 32 percent.



EU Tariff is Unprecedented, Unfounded — Will be Challenged

The European Commission (EC) is officially imposing a $83.03 per metric ton tariff on U.S. ethanol entering the European Union (EU).  Commenting on the publishing of the decision, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy (GE) issued the following statement:

“This tariff is outrageous and based on absolutely no facts or evidence of harm.  An extensive investigation was conducted and there was no proof to substantiate the European Union’s protectionist claims of dumping. Imposing a country wide anti-dumping tariff is unprecedented and unfounded.  This is blatant protectionism at its worst. This is absolutely not the final chapter. We will challenge this policy in every manner possible.”



CWT Assists with 2.6 Million Pounds of Butter and Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 16 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Foremost Farms USA, Michigan Milk Producers Association and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell 1.631 million pounds (740 metric tons) of butter and 956,806 pounds of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The product will be delivered February through August 2013.

From the year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 22.613 million pounds of cheese, 11.916 million pounds of butter and 88,185 pounds of whole milk powder to 24 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 468.5 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. That is the annual production of 22,300 cows.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by helping to maintain inventories of cheese and butter at desirable levels. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.



New Zealand Beef Exports to U.S. Up in January

Beef exports during January lifted 23 percent from the same time a year ago, to 31,061 tonnes swt--the largest January volume since 2008.

The main destination for NZ beef was the U.S., which is a large market for lean cow and bull beef from dairy cattle. In January, 16,434 tonnes were shipped to the U.S., 57 percent more than last year.

Japan and Korea remain key markets for NZ beef exports, both growing relative to last year, Japan up 24 percent, to 2,474 tonnes swt and Korea up 13 percent, to 2,382 tonnes swt.

Japan traditionally takes a mix of manufacturing beef and both chilled and frozen boneless beef, while Korea is a market for frozen beef, both bone-in and boneless.

The big growth market for NZ beef in recent months has been China, with 2,315 tonnes swt in January, up 690 percent year-on-year. In fact, the last three months (November-January) has seen more beef exported from NZ to China than the preceding 12 months.



DuPont Pioneer Expert Shares Tips on How to Reduce Early-Season Stress on Emergence

Spring is almost here and most growers have started thinking about planting dates. Though planting corn early often results in higher yields, choosing the wrong planting date can have adverse effects on crop establishment.

Planting corn early offers a number of potential benefits. For example, corn is more likely to flower sooner and escape yield-robbing effects of midsummer droughts.

“Many growers tend to begin planting early because they have a lot of ground to cover in a short time,” says Imad Saab, DuPont Pioneer research scientist in crop genetics, research and development. “They want to get ahead of spring rains that can delay planting past the optimal date for maximum yields.”

However, early planting also presents some challenges. The earlier seeds go into the ground, the more likely they will face stresses. Cold, wet conditions can make corn emergence difficult, causing yield loss. Delayed emergence also lengthens the time that seeds and seedlings are most vulnerable to early-season insects and diseases.

For growers, deciding when to plant is all about weighing the pros and cons of timing. Planting date is one of the biggest influences on stand establishment. The likelihood of reduced stand establishment is greatest when planting into unfit seedbeds, when soils are excessively cold and wet, or when planting is quickly followed by a cold spell. Here are some tips from DuPont Pioneer experts to help growers weigh their early planting options:
-    Choose a planting date based on soil conditions and weather outlook. Plant when soil temperature is close to 50º F and the near-term forecast shows a warming trend.
-    If a cold spell is expected around planting time, stop planting for a few days to allow emergence to begin at moderate temperatures. With lighter soils planted early, be aware of the potential for large temperature swings that can affect emergence, especially if nighttime temperatures dip into the 40’s.
-    If planting in a field with high amounts of residue, consider strip-tillage and residue cleaners to improve seed to soil contact and warm the soils up faster.
-    When selecting hybrids, choosing those with higher stress-emergence scores can help reduce the risks associated with planting in cold-stress conditions.

“Growers believe they’ll gain growing days and yield by grabbing an early planting window,” Saab says. “This is usually true if the crop is planted into a well-prepared seedbed with adequate temperature and moisture. But if you expect a cold, wet spell, it’s best to wait or shut down the planter one or two days ahead of the cold event. This would likely result in more rapid and uniform emergence which typically translates into higher yields.”