Tom Hoverstad Talks Planting Dates, Crop Yields on AM Minnesota

Tom Hoverstad, who is a scientist at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca, was my guest today on KDHL's AM Minnesota program. I wanted to get Tom on the air to discuss corn planting dates and yield potential. The old standard was you wanted your corn planted by around the 10th of May to have the maximum yield potential. The corn hybrid genetics we have available today are much better than they were even a few years ago.

Tom said back in the prevented plant year of 2013 he was getting a lot of calls from farmers asking what yield potential they might still have by planting corn on May 25 or even June 1. We are not there yet, but this rain and cold weather sure brings back bad memories of 2013. At that time, Tom said the last research trials they did on planting dates and yield were done back around 1995.

So, in 2014 Tom put together a three-year research trial on corn planting dates and yield potential with today's modern corn genetics. It sure was nice to have access to recent research on yield and corn planting dates. Today's AM Minnesota program with Tom will be posted on KDHL's YouTube channel. I suggest you listen to it. It might lower your stress level with not being able to plant corn because of the rain and cold weather.