Wednesday, April 27, 2011
When The Rain Stops, How Fast Can You Plant?
While one of those John Deere 48 row planters may be able to plant an 80 acre field with only two or three rounds, it may not be the implement of choice if rains continue and spring planting is delayed into the yield loss dates on the May calendar. That is analysis of some specialists who have been looking at the potential for catching up with planting, delayed by the incessant rains in the Cornbelt. No, horses aren’t the answer either, but you are going in the right direction.
As you read in the Farmgateblog.com yesterday, the weekly crop progress report indicated some corn planting progress in Missouri, but that was about it. A few states added a percent or two, some states have their corn planting on the pause function, and some states have not begun to plant. And the issues involved are the impact on yield with the delays, and how fast corn acreage can be planted, when the weather breaks. Crop production specialists such as Emerson Nafziger at the University of Illinois say yields can still be good with late planting, but the weather has to be perfect. And if planting gets too late, or weather is not good, then yields will decline.
One of the more interesting studies of planting data is based on how fast farmers can plant, once conditions are suitable. Any guesses? Visitors to recent farm shows would assume that anyone who purchased one of the 48 row Deere planters could plant a 120 foot swath, and with several rounds in the field, it would be time to move to the next field. But sometimes assumptions, no matter how well cogitated, are not always correct.
Illinois Economists Darrel Good and Scott Irwin looked at weekly planting progress and found that in 1963, Illinois farmers planted 60% of the crop in a given week, and in the same year, Indiana farmers planted 55% of the crop. In Iowa, a week in 1992 saw 64% of the corn crop planted. In that 30 year spread equipment increased in size substantially, and the economists say the crop is not planted more quickly with larger but few planters, and instead the crop is planted the most rapidly with smaller and more numerous planters.
While that may be a surprise, it is consistent with other research that indicated only a small trend was seen when planting rates were studied between 10% and 75% complete. And that trend indicated a slight increase in the number of days it took to plant the crop between 1979 and 2005. That period of time saw planters increase in size rapidly.
Good and Irwin say the entire corn crop may not be planted any faster, but with suitable weather, substantial gains can be made. They tallied the weeks with the greatest planting progress for Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, and found the fastest planting may exceed 45% in Illinois and Indiana, and 50% in Iowa. Between 1960 and 2010, the maximum corn planting progress in a single week in Illinois averaged 35.7%, 33.6% for Indiana, and 42.1% for Iowa.
Summary:
While planters sit in machine sheds out of the rain and muddy fields, the calendar quickly passes by and the potential for a large yield from early planting becomes more remote. When the weather dries up, suitable planting conditions can allow very rapid progress based on historical observation. In the heart of the Cornbelt, as much as 45% to 50% of the crop in a given state can possibly be planted. However, over the past 50 years, the length of time it takes to plant has not diminished, despite a rapid increase in the size of corn planters.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 04/27 at 12:00 AM | Permalink
Comments
Posted by: Jib at April 27, 2011 1:01AM
Just a FYI
The Southern States that may need an early harvest to fill the “short” old crop corn is progressing quite well with their corn plantings. All listed states are ahead or within 2 points of their 5 year average with the exception of AL who is 6 points behind their 5 year average.
AL 74
AR 86
GA 93
LA 100
MS 94
SC 95
VA 39
Jib aka Gibberish