Corn planting began for us on April 10th and by the 26th we had all our corn planted. The ground worked up as nice as it ever has providing for a very good seed bed; almost like a garden. After three days of planting we were knocked out of the fields by cold rains which eventually switched over to snow showers. Having 600 acres of corn planted as you watch it snow outside can be nerve racking. But the weather quickly warmed again and temperatures and the humidity elevated quickly. We left our plantings in Logan and Morgan counties towards the end and finished up with them this past Saturday. It was getting very dry in our immediate area and many local farmers had already switched over to planting their 2014 soybean crop. Luckily, rains fell over this past weekend and again this afternoon to give the corn seedlings a much needed drink. In fact, the corn we planted the first three days of the season is already emerged and looks quite good despite the stretch of colder weather. We feel very fortunate to have our corn planted in this window compared to other farmers we hear about in Northern Illinois who may have just gotten started. Last year we finished planting our corn on June 8th due to the extremely wet planting season. This year we struggled to find wet soils; even in the low lying areas that are typically wet. The corn planting season wasn't without struggles; from broken tillage equipment, to a $350 cable that tells the tractor the planter is behind it, to a bad fuse that shut off the bulk seed handling system. But everything was repairable and we were able to finish in good time. Recent rain falls have totaled between 1.1 and 2.0" so the next time we are able to get in the fields we will begin planting our soybean crop.
Thank you to all our employees and suppliers who put in long hours to make corn planting go so smoothly.
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