There has been plenty of rain through most of April and into early May. But Tom Fricke of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau told us on Monday (May 6th) that certainly no panic is setting in thus far during planting season. They’re just getting work done when they can.
AUDIO: There’s guys out working today so there’s activity going on. It all depends on how much rain you get where you’re at. We’re only at the sixth of May, so we’ve got a lot of time to be able to get the crop in the ground and still get good yields out of it. It may be a little later than some guys might have preferred, but it doesn’t mean we’re at the panic stage.
While the trend of late has been plant soybeans earlier and not put it off until corn is done, Fricke says right about now farmers are likely thinking, even if you have been looking soybeans first, it’s probably time to put corn at the top of the priority list.
AUDIO: The beans can tolerate being planted later. If some guys have been not able to get into the fields yet, or get as much done as they would’ve liked; I could see more people putting the corn into the ground first, and then going back to the beans.
On another point, although the shorter day maturity corn is always available if corn has to be planted significantly later; it’s important to remember that some farmers do some of that every year. Fricke says farmers are always looking ahead to the harvest, and making sure that not everything’s ready at the same time.
