Farmers Forum staff
WINCHESTER — A moment of forgetfulness or inattentiveness can cost a farmer big money. Back in the day, dairy farmers would occasionally forget to switch on their bulk coolers, accidentally wasting the valuable milk they worked so hard to collect.
Out in the corn field, another classic example sees farmers neglecting to check their seed-planter depth. And according to Clare Kinlin, a Solio Ag fertilizer buyer, it still happens. Shallow-planted corn continues to reduce yield and crop performance for some farmers.
“It’s still the biggest problem I’m seeing,” Kinlin told a group of farmers gathered June 4 for a crop update in Winchester. “Even with all the moisture, the amount of shallow-planted corn still surprises me.”
The corn in question is planted only a half inch to one inch deep.
“It’s not big acres or anything like that but it’s surprising,” he said.
OMAFA recommends that corn be planted at least 1.5 inches deep. Going shallower results in poorer crop establishment and lower yield.
