# Should I plant corn early?



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Is there anything to gain by planting corn now? We will see.









Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/should_you_plant_corn_this_early_/


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

We are going to plant some "hot" sand this week. It is not forgiving at all of hot and dry summers, warms up quicker than clay and holds heat better, so the earlier planted the better it does. Clay ground is getting dry enough, but will wait at least a week to 10 days on it (closer to crop insurance date). One advantage for us on early planting is higher prices out of the field. If planting rolls off fast and yields are good across the corn belt, corn prices will crash by harvest, but old crop corn is going to remain strong until then. Planning to take some to town in August before new crop corn crashes.


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## steve IN (Jan 13, 2010)

I know of one kid who planted 40 last week. Spoiled kid who likes to think hes smarter than the rest of us. Crop insurance wont cover it.Sad part is this year the idea will probably work. IMO winter is not over yet. See no reason to plant this early no matter what.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

No insurance here until April 11.

I don't think seed co's will cover replant seed until Ins date either.

And if planted before then and some other weather issue latter in summer like drought or hail then it wouldn't be covered because of early planting.

NO not planting until at least April 11.


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## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

Have to agree, why chance it when the insurance and seed companies are their to to mitigate some of the risk...but I seen an 80 acre field go in this weekend between Indy and Logan...hope it works out for them


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

WAYYY too early yet up here to even think about planting corn. We planted one year on the 22nd of April, which is early up here and it did great as it was a dry summer. Several other guys have planted around that date or a little earlier and admitted later that their later planted corn yielded much better. I've planted beans around the 22nd plenty of times in the past and its about 50/50 whether it will be the best yielding or not, thing about soybeans they will rarely fall flat on their faces from early planting if conditions deteriorate.

Last year was very strange, but the very last field of corn we planted outyielded the next closest one by 25 bushels.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

My corn will go in the first of April as it does every year. I am also putting in some indetereminent beans this weekend as a test. If they don't make it, it will get sprayed and planted to corn. Mike


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## Goatman (Jun 11, 2010)

I think it's still too early here. Beautiful weather, but if it frosts it will set the crop back to as if it was planted in May, or if growing point is above ground it will kill a crop that doesnt have insurance. IMO wait until insurance will cover you.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Well some people go to Vegas, I farm. Gonna put the chips on the table, or in the field. Planted 8 acres this evening just to get everything adjusted. Gonna run another 50 or 60 acres of sand tomorrow. Soil temps are between 65 and 70 and moisture is good. 2 week forcast is still normal to above normal temps and after that our freeze chances begin to deminish pretty quick. Ground I am on today is not insured anyway and my Pioneer dealer said they would replace it he thought (he is planting too). If the weather holds and we miss the rain again later this week, I think everyone will be running full tilt here next week, insurance or not. Insurance dates still don't make any sense to me, because mlappin and myself have the same date and I am 250 miles south of him and 2 weeks earlier.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Good Luck Joe! I am totally unfamiliar with what you are calling hot sand ground, but after you explained it earlier I believe that I might roll the dice too. Keep us informed all through the process until harvest as it will be interesting for all to keep up with this unusual anomalie.

Regards, Mike


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Hot sand is some nice dirt that is pure sand, no irrigation, warms up really fast, gets really hot in the summer, and is only 3 days from a drought at any time. Alfalfa does real well because the water table is only 10 to 15 ft deep. If irrigated, it grows a multitude of high dollar crops-seed corn, watermelons, canteloupes, asparagus, sweet corn, green beans or what-ever esle. If unirrigated, it becomes a barren desert by late July and August. Mine is currently in corn this year as I am rotating from alfalfa and will row crop as long as prices stay high.


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