In a cloud of dust and with a hearty "Hi ho, Roundup Ready corn," Mower County farmers are racing through the spring planting season.

Monday, May 08, 2000

In a cloud of dust and with a hearty "Hi ho, Roundup Ready corn," Mower County farmers are racing through the spring planting season.

It is possible they will have all of the corn crop planted by week’s end and start planting soybeans.

Motorists passing by only see tractors followed by a trail of dust crisscrossing fields or pickup trucks racing down gravel roads with a plume of white dust in their wake.

This is a busy time of the year and turning over the soil for a new crop is always exciting.

But, this may be one of the rare spring planting seasons, when Mower County farmers have looked skyward and wished for rain, even with the minor amount that fell early today. Dave Quinlan, Mower County Extension Service educator, refused to make any predictions about when the next solid rainfall will occur.

"I’m cautious. I watch the weather newscasts and check the USDA forecasts on the Internet, but when and how much I don’t know how to predict," Quinlan explained. "I do know a good one to two inches of rain would be welcome right now."

Thus far, the spring planting conditions have been perfect, but could they be too perfect?

A little rain would go a long way.

The one man who knows all and sees all in agriculture in Mower County is Quinlan.

The Mower County Extension Service educator is always a ready resource for information.

From Quinlan’s perspective, "It’s been perfect for planting, and I would say at least three-fourths of the corn crop is in the ground."

The planting began in earnest April 20, and the moisture, albeit in small amounts, apparently was enough to germinate the crop in the ground. Already, corn plants are peeking through the soil, starting their ribbons of green through fields.

The head start on corn planting allowed cash-crop farmers to work their fields for beans, and some already have planted beans.

"This moisture thing has some farmers wondering if they should plant or wait," Quinlan said.

Given the high fuel prices, no farmer wants to have to plow up his bean fields, because of too much moisture coming too soon.

Growers are using 100- to 105-day maturity varieties. There’s been no big change in varieties over last spring’s choices.

And, everywhere one goes, there is more Roundup Ready corn and beans planted.

Because velvet leaf is so prevalent in Mower County fields, even Roundup Ready seed corn and beans may not be enough to forestall problem weeds.

That’s because of a lack of full-season weed control and soybeans are most vulnerable, even those varieties that are herbicide-tolerant.

That’s why the right choice of herbicide will be extremely important to growers this year.

While anhydrous ammonia fertilizer is safe to act at 3 inches depth, chemicals are quite a different story and agronomists at the local elevator are sure to be busy answering growers’ inquiries throughout the planting and into the growing season.

"Moisture, when and if we get it and in whatever amounts will definitely affect herbicides," he said. "Weeds will come through when the plants are stressed for moisture."

But, the Extension Service’s Quinlan says the attitude of those farmers he meets each day remains "cautiously upbeat."

The reason for that is a timeless adage in agriculture.

"Farmers always feel good when they can get work done," Quinlan said. "They’re too busy to worry about other things."