Wetter springs can mean more corn nitrogen loss

Jan 06, 2020 at 08:24 AM CST
The trend of wetter springs can mean losing more nitrogen, or just having more limited options for nitrogen application and timing. Looking at data going back to 1977, Scharf said it is taking longer for farmers to get from 25% complete planting corn to 75%. There is about a 2% average increase in time statewide, but the northern three crop reporting districts in Missouri are seeing increases of 5, 6 and 4% in the time it takes them to get from 25% to 75% finished with corn planting. Scharf said farming operations are bigger, but equipment is also bigger and more efficient, so weather is probably a big part of the delay.

Jan 06, 2020 at 08:24 AM CST

The trend of wetter springs can mean losing more nitrogen, or just having more limited options for nitrogen application and timing. Looking at data going back to 1977, Scharf said it is taking longer for farmers to get from 25% complete planting corn to 75%. There is about a 2% average increase in time statewide, but the northern three crop reporting districts in Missouri are seeing increases of 5, 6 and 4% in the time it takes them to get from 25% to 75% finished with corn planting. Scharf said farming operations are bigger, but equipment is also bigger and more efficient, so weather is probably a big part of the delay.