corn....throw in the towel?

[nwmn]

well boys, I thought this would be the breakout year for our farm as we got 30 acres rented to a no till farmer that planted beans, so I figured with the no till there would be plenty of beans leftover going into winter since the combine would need to be cutting high due to eneven ground and not getting worked in. he ended up only getting 12 acres planted which helps but since our field was more of a duck paradise than a farmers dream only 1/3 got planted. while he was doing that I asked if he could plant our corn to border his beans into cultivated soil thst was perfect for planting and heavily amended with urea and another shot of triple 19 after planting. the following couple days we got peppered with rain and there was standing water in a few areas followed by low 80s heat. I thought we were set up perfectly for a good growing year. we planted June 1st, and as of last Thursday no corn has sprouted. I dug out a few kernels 10 days after planting and one was pretty hard and looked like it should start breaking the crust. his beans are looking good in the same soil. the ground is crusty due to the standing water, is that prohibiting it from aprouting, or is the wet soil causing it to stall?

I was hoping we would have corn and beans next to each other and really pull the deer in, but might not be in the cards for the year.

thoughts?

 

[bwoods11]

NW Minnesota is tough in a wet year.

Last year nothing was even planted on my 70 tillable acres.

 

[sandbur]

There is an implement for breaking the crust that usually sits in the windbreak until used about once every 5 years or so. I think it is called a roto hoe.

 

[browndog]

I had this happen to me last year. I had an area tilled up and planted it with corn. Ended up getting 3" of heavy rain the night I planted. The soil was so compacted and dried out fast that it was like concrete. I dug a few seeds out(I had to chip away with a screwdriver)about 10-14 days later and nothing was happening. I ended up re-tilling it and replanting. How deep was your seed? Mine was planted about 1 1/2-2" deep. I think my problem was that the KK tiller had the clay worked up so fine and the 3" of heavy rain packed everything so tight and then dried like a brick and the seed couldn't do anything.

 

[nwmn]

seed depth seemed alright. about the same as you from what I could tell. I'll have to take a better look this week and assess the situation. if nothing grows I'll bring in equipment and plant a fall mix. just feels like a major setback as I felt having corn would truly make the difference this year.

 

[bwoods11]

I'm not sure what soils you have, but my renter has transitioned to some corn on my farm and on his ground. They farm a variety of soils and he has had success with corn. Up there it is all about the rain....with too much rain being the issue as the land does not drain that well. Some years great crops, others (like last year) not so much.

 

[nwmn]

mostly a Sandy loam. you're right, drainage is tough in most areas and when the rain comes it just sits. makes getting plots accomplished very difficult!

 

[sandbur]

mostly a Sandy loam. you're right, drainage is tough in most areas and when the rain comes it just sits. makes getting plots accomplished very difficult!

Have you considered a fall seeding of Oats, rye, alsike, and red clover?

I have heard of canamaize. Maybe look it up for another year.

 

[nwmn]

Have you considered a fall seeding of Oats, rye, alsike, and red clover?

I have heard of canamaize. Maybe look it up for another year.

I planted oats/beans/sunflower/medium red/alsike/ladino/etc in the middle of the corn. Corn was planted as a perimeter plot for security/screening.

I planted rye/oats/awp/turnip/radish last fall and it brought them in, so I was planning on broadcasting the remainder of rye in the oats middle of july and pack it in.

Is canamaize pretty expensive? I bought our corn for $40 from our mdha seed deal.

 

[sandbur]

I planted oats/beans/sunflower/medium red/alsike/ladino/etc in the middle of the corn. Corn was planted as a perimeter plot for security/screening.

I planted rye/oats/awp/turnip/radish last fall and it brought them in, so I was planning on broadcasting the remainder of rye in the oats middle of july and pack it in.

Is canamaize pretty expensive? I bought our corn for $40 from our mdha seed deal.

Our corn is $35 from MDHA. A good deal at either price.

 

[nwmn]

checked today and only saw two corn seedlings about 5" high. I'll have to disc this area up and replant. thinking going with radish/rye/awp. figure with all that N I applied this spring the rye and radish can use it and hold it over for next year. maybe I can get corn to grow here next year. funny that I had better luck broadcasting by throwing corn seed by hand last year than with a planter.

farmers beans are coming in nice just a few feet north of where corn was planted.