Rows Of Bright Green Corn Seedlings In Weeks

Rows Of Bright Green Corn Seedlings In Weeks
Trent Brandenburg has been getting ready to plant for a couple of months, going over machinery maintenance, seed and chemical orders, and watching the weather. Trent wants to do some spring pre-plant tillage, but needs a little rain first. He does not want to work his soil as dry as it is, because if there is then no rain, the newly-tilled soil will get dry too deep for quick, dependable germination.
Trent does not plan any changes to his usual planting plan this year. He will keep the same balance between corn and soybeans, the same level of fertilizer and crop protection chemical application, and the same seed varieties, that have been successful for him in recent years. Trent does not expect to begin planting until April 5 because of the crop insurance requirement. Crop insurance does not pay for replanting of pre-April 5 plantings. A lot can happen to a newly-planted crop in its early weeks.
With the steady faith shared by most farmers at the beginning of each new crop year, Trent looks forward to seeing the beautiful rows of bright green corn seedlings reaching off to his horizons in just a few weeks.
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From Drought To Ponding And Replanting
In barely months, Trent's challenges have gone from extreme drought to repeated ponding and replanting. Trent has replanted some corn and soybeans twice, only to have the ponding return yet again. "I don't think I will try to replant corn [...]
Corn And Soybean Planting Done, Some Germinated, More To Come
Trent Brandenburg is happy to have completed his corn and soybean planting by the 15th of May. "It's slow," he said, commenting on the germination delay by the recent cool temperatures. Moderately heavy rains the last few days have caused [...]
Worked Some Fields, With A Sunny Day Could Begin Planting
Trent Brandenburg has "worked a couple of fields, they're barely ready" after several days of rain last week. "If we get a sunny day tomorrow I could plant some," Trent continued. The long-standing extreme drought in central Illinois has been [...]


