In the News - March 2008
Corn farmers anxious to get back into fields
LITTLE ROCK - Recent rains and flooding have many Arkansas farmers cooling
their heels. They would like to be preparing their land for planting corn, but
weather-related problems have delayed tillage operations.
Much of the ground preparation would have been taken care of in the fall, but
unfavorable weather conditions then conspired to cut that short, according to
Dr. Jason Kelley, extension agronomist/wheat and feed grains for the University
of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
In spring of 2007, farmers had planted 45 percent of the corn crop by March
25, compared to the five-year average of 14 percent. Kelley figures 5 percent or
less of the crop will have been planted on March 25 this year. The USDA hasn't
released the latest planting report yet.
"Last year, farmers were excited about high prices for corn and wanted to
make sure they got it planted. Also, they were blessed with favorable weather
for planting early," Kelley explained. "At that time, we were just entering a
two- or three-week period of dry, 80-degree weather. We were about two or three
weeks ahead of schedule last year."
Typically, the corn planting season is the middle of March until the end of
April, Kelley noted.
"We still have plenty of time to plant corn without losing yield potential.
That's the take-home message," he said. "But we need dry, warm and windy
weather."
Kelley thinks farmers will plant slightly less corn this year than they did
last year. Seed companies are telling him that farmers have booked as much seed
as they did last year.
"I don't think we'll plant any more than last year," he said. "Last year,
corn looked most attractive from an economic standpoint. This year, all crops
look profitable, and I don't think you can go wrong planting any of them. "
Arkansas farmers planted 610,000 acres of corn, more than they had planted in
any year in a half century.
Kelley said farmers can only sit and wait until fields dry out. He said
farmers have a little experience planting late.
"Many farmers had to go in and replant corn later than they would have liked
after the Easter freeze last year. I believe the planting window is a little
wider than what we give it credit for as long as farmers have good hybrids to
plant."
He warned corn planted recently will probably sit in the ground for two
weeks, and it may not come up uniformly.
"If I were planting corn right now, I would be as happy it was in the bag as
in the ground," Kelley said.
For more information about corn production, contact your county extension
agent or visit and select Agriculture, then Corn. The Cooperative Extension
Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
March 28, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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