I dug up another seedling to show this weeks progress. Root is growing fast even though the ground is still cold. There is the beginning of the corn plant developing also and the part to the left on the picture is what we will eventually see emerging from the ground.
There has been no field work this week because of rain and cloudy days, possible rain again today. As soon as the farmers are able the corn planting will be fast and furious.
Reported soil temperatures at seed depth are 46 degrees below is a chart of growth rates expected. The chart begins at 59 degrees. Note this is millimeters per hour. 25.4 millimeters equal one inch.
Once the planters go again there will be little difference in growth between last week's planted corn and corn planted 10 days later, as the warmer soils will accelerate the growth rates. For this reason some farmers opted to wait to begin planting and got all fields ready with fertilizer applications and preplant tillage.
Seed companies have been selecting for cold germination tolerance and this has allowed for a larger amount of days suitable for planting. Prior to this advancement the risk of the seed deteriorating was too great in cold soils to encourage early planting.
So "its,May corn grows" was my thinking for getting started before the soil reaches 50 degrees while other farmer may be watching soil temperatures to start. This is just one of the decisions we make and thought the year I will try to keep you informed on other decisions. We never know exactly which one is the right decision until harvest in October. Until then we pray for God's blessings.
Serving together, Dean
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