Episode 301: Boots In The Field Report April 26, 2023

In this Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers the calls coming in on the crops planted April 3-10th that took the hardest hit from the freeze. The first step to evaluating replant decisions is to have accurate counts for what plants survived. For beans checking that the stem below the cotyledon is firm. If soft, it gets counted in the dead column. If firm, it gets counted in the maybe column and growers will have to watch for new growth to confirm (70-90 GDUs – so could be next Friday before you know). On corn Ken recommends checking plants that had spikes close to the surface, watching to see if those split and try to leaf out underground. Moisture, tillage practices, and field conditions can play a big role in how deep the freeze got. As the calendar days start to slip away, growers need to know how many days it will take their operation to get their corn crop in the ground. That will determine if they have the luxury to wait for conditions to be right to give them the best chance of achieving their ear count objectives or if they are going to have to push conditions at one end or the other of the planting window. He also reminds growers as they wait to get back in to finishing planting not to drop the ball on their planted acres, keeping an eye out for crusting and cutworm and armyworm issues.