with the University of Minnesota Extension and Dr. Stephanie. If he's our Extension Soybean specialists with the University of Minnesota Extension and again. We like to think University of Minnesota, and generous support from the Minnesota solelying research and Promotion Council for this program today. So with that just want to provide a little bit of background.
you know. Again we try to hit hot topics and progress of the crapping season as it goes in these sessions, and you know, if you look at the you latest usda crop progress report from Minnesota, and this is as of Monday, May fifteenth. You know, statewide corn was 61% planted compared to 5 year average of 58 statewide soybeans were at 30% planted versus a 5 year average of 37%. So
pretty close there, and I know in my area here in southwestern South Central Minnesota. You know, a lot of people were pretty much done with corn, or really close to done, and making a good dent into soybean other areas, Of course they've been more delayed and planting and and our
able to make some more progress. You're finally. But in sections of the State we got a lot of rain last week, and some areas pretty significant amounts, you know, if you look at the National weather service and looking at maps, you know, for the southern part of the State, particularly big area of South Central Minnesota. You know a lot of there. You got at least 2 inches of rain. Some spots got 3 4 5 6,
8 inches or more, even up to 10 or more in some isolated areas. We've got water standing in fields. It's been standing in areas for a while. Ditches are full. and it's gonna be a while before some of these areas dry out, so brings up a lot of questions today that you know I, our guests, can help address. And again, if you have any questions. Please
enter those into the Q. A. Box. But I guess the first question that I see you know coming up to. If you did plant, and the crap is under water. What's our prognosis for that? How long can I crap, you know? Stay alive. You know. What are we thinking about? What's our? What's our prognosis for potential here? Will those seedlings survive? And what if factors could influence that? So I don't know, Jeff, if I want to have you
take that question first, and then we can turn it over to stuff to to see what his take would be on the sleeping end. But first of all in the corner. And what do you think there?
The surviving plant should have new growth coming out of the world? So, about 3 to 5 days after the water has resided. You can also split the stocks and see if the growing point is still survived. Or if it has started to decompose.
Okay, yeah, because a lot of those seedlings I mean, they are just starting to roll. you know, Roll the field. So some of these areas it's not even a merged shed, or at all yet either, but or just starting to. But you know again, with savings, and some people have planted really early with soybeans to stuff. So again, what? What's your take on that as well, too, for assessing stands, or well, I should say the survivability. If it's under water.
We're. We're really looking at the same kind of a timeframe. Jeff's right at temperature. Really is is the driver here mid, You know, we we often talk about mid-season drown outs when we have 80 90 degree temperatures that really moves things along a lot faster. So when it's a little bit cooler, you know it helps us on the side that these things can hang around a little bit longer. But, on the other hand.
our crop is also growing a little bit slower, so it takes a little bit of time to get out of it, and we don't have the evaporative demand to get rid of the the water. So it's really, you know, a two-edged sword here. But yeah, it's it's really in that kind of 2 to 4 day timeframe, and I I would assume that. You know we were looking at the same kind of thing for submerged. You know our plants that haven't emerged. Sorry plants that have not emerged
versus emerge. Plants are probably going to be kind of in a similar situation. The newly germinated soybeans, If they were planted just before the the water came we might have a little bit more time with those after they've germinated and started to put a radical out. You know they're really kind of cranking out
a lot of metabolically under the soil, so I would say that they'd probably be pretty similar to to a plant that's just cracking and emerge. So I don't. I don't know that there's a huge distinction between Pre emerged plants and those that have come up. Maybe it's. Jeff has some other thoughts on it.
I agree.
Yeah. So and what do you think, too, like? Once the water goes away from these areas, we're probably going to have. You know that soil. Could we get a lot of crusting issues to anything, any thoughts with that?
Yeah, that'll be something to keep an eye on. You know, some of these flooded areas. They may be a total loss. So we'll need to be prepared for that as well.
And I think the crusting is another issue. You know we had, I think, part of the problem. We had saturated soils from a from an earlier rain, and some of these cases, and then we got another pretty big shot of rain. So I imagine that we've got significant crusting in some of these areas. So it.
you know we sound like a broken record with a bunch of old extension people around you talking about rotary hoeing. But you know, I think that farmers have to probably look at something like this for some of those areas. But yeah, it's gonna be this divide between 2 wet areas that they can't get into, and then other areas that are the the water is receded, but it's crusted, and
and these fields are really variable. That's the that's the part that I have the hardest time giving advice because farmers have, you know, fields that will have everything from hilltops to side slopes to, You know low areas in the fields, and it'll be the whole gamut all in the same field.
and how to slice and dice that, and manage those parts, and they don't want to run on a lot of crop. They don't want to spend a lot of time turning around, and it's it's it's one of these things that farmers are just gonna have to
do, based on on their historical knowledge. I mean, there's a lot, you know. We we deal with this every year in, you know, at some point in time, and farmers have dealt with spring flooding on their fields, undoubtedly somewhere at some point in the past, and so drawing on their own knowledge, is probably in their own logistics and their own equipment and and things is probably the best thing that they can do.
And of course there's key time, especially with soybeans. You don't want to be running the rotary hole right. you know, basically when you start getting that crook coming through the the soil, I don't if you want to elaborate on that a little bit to set. Or.
yeah, we just need to be really cautious with these things. I mean, it's again. You know it again. It's it's a little bit of an art here, because that's right when we're when these soybeans are cracking, is that when we kind of need to pay some attention to them and help them out a little bit. But it's also right at the time that they're most susceptible, so we don't
the words thing is to wait too long, and then be in a situation where we wish we would have gone in a little bit earlier. I think it's okay to try a little bit and see how it goes when they can go. and then just make sure and get out of the tractor and and and keep an eye on what's happening behind those those implements, whatever they're using. Probably a rotary. Ho! If they've still got those
Oh, good good points. And and Jeff, you know, there's gonna be questions, too. People always say, okay, if I've got water standing in my field. Because yeah, I've been through some of these areas, and there's some pretty big lakes and some spots. Not everybody's face with this. But you know, every year we do have areas that are faced with the standing water, and
you know big concern. Then, of course, if you're producing corn, what's gonna happen to the nitrogen, you know. Did they lose nitrogen? Do they got to worry about putting supplemental nitrogen on, you know, and things like that. Any thoughts that you could say again, considering the time of year that this hit, and what our conditions have been like. And
yeah, so some nitrogen will be lost definitely due to denitrification. The amount of it that's lost depends on. You know the duration of the flooding, but keep an eye on those areas. They may need to have some additional and applied. If corn remains in that field. The U Ofm has a supplemental nitrogen worksheet that it's online. And one can kind of go through this thing and basically answer a few questions and determine whether they need
an additional side, address, application, or not. If so, somewhere in the range of 40 to £70 of end per acre, what is common, and on the lower end for corn following Soybean, and towards the higher end, usually for corn following corn.
Yeah, all excellent points. The good side of this is that you know farmers are now pretty well set up for doing side dressing. Isn't that right, Jeff. It seems like.
you know i'm old enough to remember a day when you know everybody put fall and hydras on, and if if they had a problem, they were just stuck with it because they didn't they? They weren't really set up to do a lot of in-season side dressing and
you know it's. Just it seems like we're putting a lot of starters on now, and and farmers are really splitting a lot of this. So it seems like, seems to me, as I drive around that farmers, or do a have a, at most. Have a pretty good access to doing some side dressing.
Yup.
Yeah. And we got a question that popped up to for ask you some other questions. Here it said, what options are there for? No tillers where a rotary hole is not an option? Hmm. It's a good question. Well, I would, you know, to back up I mean the No tiller should be in a better situation because of the residue.
and I assume we're talking about soybeans in in following corn. So we've got a lot of corn residue out there. you know, and we generally don't have as many issues with with crusting in in in no detail. I just don't see it so hopefully. Hopefully. It isn't a a big problem if we've got real crusting issues following. No, till you know. I think if you have a really really clean, if you've done a lot of work with them.
residue removers, trash, whipper, kind of an operation, and really opened up that that the over that row I think that could open things up. So you know, maybe there's an opportunity, if you're in that situation actually rotary. Ho! A little bit right over the row.
We can hold up some of those shanks from some of those wheels. and you know farmers are pretty in ingenuative, ingenious, and I don't know what the right word is, and they can probably, you know, with Rtk. They can run through these fields pretty good. So maybe that would be an option for them.
Yeah, good good point. And you know. And and again, so we're talking about, you know, assessing stands, and all that. And you know what's kind of a just a review Again, what's a good way to do that, because regardless of what's happened, it's a good idea this time of year to be out there checking. Stand. See what things look like. Jeff. What would you recommend for checking stands and corn right now, what what kind of pro process do you recommend? People do?
Well, first, you want to get several areas in the field. and the longer length of row that you can measure, probably the better. So traditionally people would measure 1 one thousandth of an acre, which is 17 feet 5 inches and 30 inch rose. Then they'd count the number of plants on each side of that. and
multiply by a 1,000, and that's your plant population, and then you'd want to do that in probably 10 areas in the field. Another way that is potentially a little more accurate is to use a measuring wheel and just count plans as you're pushing the wheel down the row and measure a longer length of row, such as 100 feet.
Then you're less, you know. Then you're got a a longer length, a row, and if you're missing one plant it doesn't have such a large impact on what the estimated plant population is. But yeah, the key is to just get out there and look at various parts of the field. Not just the best spots.
Yeah, Good point. And how about Soybean I mean 1 1,000 silver roll that could be a lot of sleeping plants to count set. But I see people talking about hula hoops and all this thing, too. But do you have a kind of a general recommendation for checking stands that you like to use a soybean. Open your muted
sorry. Yeah. So I You know it all depends on row spacing for thirties. I do really like 17. 5 is a is a good measure. twenty's, 22, so we can do the similar kind of thing just a little bit longer. Row Hoo hoops are okay for drill drilled, but we don't have that many drilled soybeans anymore. So you know, I think farmers just just do what works best. I I hate to give too many recommendations because we just want we want people to take more stand counts.
And so I don't want to limit people by giving up being a big academic lecture on on how to take us a a proper stand, Count, and rather they do more. And and just like you, said Liz, to get around the field. The The the reminder in Soybean is just the the stands at this at this stage we're still pretty early. We can get in there and replan. So I think if I hadn't really considered this question before the call. Although it's a it's an important one, is what those minimum stands would be today
in order to take out a a soybean stand, because it's a really tough question. We've still got pretty much maximum yields out there. so I think we'd have to have a deficient stand so I think we'd have to be under 75,000, or something like that. in order for a farmer to consider coming back and and replanting that field Liz mentioned before the call, and it's a really good point is that that we can, and farmers do a lot of this spiking in around soybeans.
and that really does work really quite well. So again, just coming back and planting another pass between the rows with Soybean is really quite efficient. Quite easy. Farmers can easily get behind this psychologically, because it they don't feel like they're ruining anything and and Aren't getting rid of that earlier stand. We we want to try to make a good nick with a maturity, so that these things match up pretty well if they plan it out really early, and had really
tall beans to whatever those might look like this time of year. We may have to work a little bit at that angle, but we can always spike in a few more around them, too.
Yeah, that would be my follow up question with that like how you know what point would it not be worth it to try to do that like. How big would your soybeans have to be, You know, before you like? You know, I could tear up the slogans that I've got, or there's gonna be such a difference in in size, and a tree might shade out. The others, I mean, is that do you have a good feel for that, or kind of general recommendations on that again. We're really early in the season, but
you know just something to think about it for thinking about that. And I don't remember the research on this. Whether we looked at timing of those or not. I think the bigger issue is is matching maturities. If if they do get out to be V. 2 3 4, I I think I would have a really hard time getting in there after V 3 doing this kind of a thing, and by that time
you we'd have to have a really really thin stand originally, and then we'd we'd probably be thinking about taking another. just removing those and and starting over, you know, and that the thing that's really changed in my world around this is just is resistant weeds out there. We used to give very flat, clear recommendations on on, on replant decisions. but it's really changed around weed control, and what what products are out for pries, what kind of weed spectrum people have.
what they've got available to put on after the those those weed control issues are almost to the point where they're driving, driving the decision making rather than just being kind of a a caveat to it. So I I think it's something. It's obviously something we have to consider as we make those decisions.
Yeah. And I think like to get back to that topic. We control here, too, because, Of course that is a big issue right now with, you know, wanting to get those pre herbicides down and and all that. But I do want to jump over to Jeff. Here, you know, when we're looking at stands what stands. Would you feel good with right now? Let's see if somebody has a spotty stand
out there, you know. And again, there's all those fact just away with planning date, and you potential with that versus planting later. But yeah again, you know if people are out there taking stands, and they don't quite have a stand that they thought they should. You know what what's kind of the trade offs there, and what? What would you say up? Just leave it. It. It's good to go.
Yeah. So for corn. If you have a final stand at 26,000 plants per acre that will give you a yield of about 96% of the maximum with 23,000 plants breaker. You're gonna have about 92% of your maximum yield. And that's assuming that the plants are that there's good spacing within the row, and there's not large gaps.
If If there are large gaps. You're gonna have some additional yield losses. If the gaps are, say 16 to 33 inches long you're looking in an an additional 2% yield loss on top of those, and if the gaps are up to 4 to 6 feet in size in the row, you're probably looking at another 5% yield loss. So corn can do actually quite well. With low populations. It can get pretty pretty good yields. It's not till you get like into the low 20,000 or less. When it you know
you're you're approaching 90% yield or less. And then at that point that those may be scenarios for considering replanting. But you know when your final stand is 24,000, or above it's you know corn can still do pretty good, assuming that there's not huge gaps. or or if there are gaps that they're not that common.
and and you bring up a good point, too. It's like. So i'm looking at the calendar Here we may. Seventeenth. You know.
Again, some of these areas people are are planting. Now you know what's kind of the you potential. We figure on average of corn. Or, again, if you're in an area that you gotta get replanted, you know what's our you, what you potential are we looking at? And do we need to start thinking about switching hybrids? You're pretty soon to be that have been delayed, or if we have to replant?
Yeah, well, we still got good yield potential right now, between 2,009 and 2,006 or 2,016, we did 26 planting date trials across Minnesota, and on average across those trials. If we planted between May 13 and May 19 we were still getting 97 to 98% of maximum, yield. And if our planting got delayed until May twentieth to the 20 fifth, we're looking at about 95% of maximum yield, and if we planted between May, 26 and May 30, looking at about 92% of maximum yields. So we do have
good yield. Potential Yet I think things to remember are, even though the calendar is getting late. We want to avoid getting out in the fields when they're too wet. The soil should crumble a depth at one inch below the depth of tillage, and we don't want to be getting out there when it's too wet, because then we're gonna have
cloud. We're gonna create clouds, and that's gonna cause air pockets in the soil, and that's gonna Restrict how quickly the water and bibes from the into the seeds, and that can hinder emergence and other things.
We still have time to get a good. Get the crop in and get a good yield, and for corn it it all pretty much comes down to the weather. That's 2 weeks before the tassels emerged, and the 3 weeks after the tassels emerged. That's the key driver of corn yield. Assuming that you've got an acceptable standage set up from your planting.
so we are not at the point where you want to be muddied it in right. And what about yeah, and just a little bit Did I don't know if you mentioned? Did you mention like maturity? Is there a point where you'd be switching maturity or yeah. So once we get to May 22. That's a time when we want to start thinking about what maturity do we have? And do we need to switch to something that's earlier.
So between May 22 and May 28 we want to think about something that's 5 to 7 relative maturity units earlier than what's considered full season for your area. So when you think about that, you also want to think about well, the hybrid that I ordered in the first place, was that a full season for my area or not? In most cases it may be in some cases it may be a couple of units shorter than
what's considered full season, so that may give you a little flexibility as well, and then, when we get to May 29 to June 4. We want to be looking at something that's 8 to 15 relative maturity units shorter than full season.
and hopefully we won't. Get that late, and i'll bought on the sleeping. Then, Seth. you know again, when we look at your potential and planet, because, of course, we know planning needs plays a big role in your potential with savings as well. And you know, what are we kind of looking at for you potential for something planted now or in about a week when things are dry out, and and when do we need to be thinking about switching maturities there, too?
Those yeah, those our yield curves and soybeans are really similar to corn at this stage of the year. So we're still in that near yield potential maximum potential for this time of year. So we're still in good shape. Once we get out to May, 20, then things start to tip down a little bit, so we lose
about a half a percent yield potential per day after May 20, and then through early June. Then, you know, once we get into the second third week of June. Then we're we're losing a a full percentage point per day. So it we. It takes a little while to get there, but you know this is cumulative, and so we don't want to wait too long.
But of course, you know, just as as mentioned, we just have to make sure we have good conditions to get out there, so there's still plenty of time. The big. The big difference in swiping obviously is maturities. We can hold maturities quite a bit longer. The only you know I would. Generally Our Our historical recommendation is June 10. To switch maturities on Soybean. I would say that
we do have a really wide range of maturities that farmers are planting now. So armor should just be really conscious. Are they? Are they? Are there varieties that they have in the bag, you know, considered fairly long for their local environment, or are they relatively short? And that makes a big difference whether they should so should switch those out if they've had if they've been having really good luck planning very long season varieties.
you know. They need to pull the trigger and move those a little bit earlier. On the other hand, if farmers have been really conservative, and they have short season varieties because they yield well for their environment, they're you know they're people that want to get cover crops or manure out in the fall. They should just hold those there's no reason to switch those out anytime soon, and and probably we'll have no problem planting those all the way through.
even in well into June. So you know, just a couple of little variants there on that.
Okay, yeah. And I see we have a question that kind of relates to this like, is there a resource where we can calculate the recommended relative maturity for area at such and such a planning date.
Actually, we're working on that right now we're we're developing a planting date app that that takes that into the uses crop models, local, environmental. You know our our local environmental weather, photo period and and temperature profiles. and we hope to integrate that with with future weather as well, so that we can. We can both look at frost risk on both ends of the season, so that's with early planting.
as well as late season stuff as well. So we're we're working on that there isn't anything right now. We'll have. We'll have static maps this summer. Probably developed from that project. But then. by this year at this time we should have some some sort of an app, or some sort of a a thing that people can go to and and just put in their their drop a pen, and and and i'll give him some guidance on soybean maturities.
Well, that sounds pretty cool, and I know you have some articles on our website as well. Just kind of talking about the differences. You know how it's more advantageous to get that earlier planning date with those fuller season versus you know. You see, the bigger pay off
versus the earlier season. But so there is some information on that on our website, on our soybean page as well. And I think another question. We have here, too. I think you've kind of have a justice already. But, yes, what about the corn and soybean stand? Question a week from now. when fields dry out on our accessible. So I think again, just kind of balancing out like you said that maturity, you know potential Well.
we don't really need to be switching yet at that point. But look at the yield potential and things like that. I don't know if there's anything you want to add to that. Because again, if it's really what it's gonna take a while to get back into those fields.
Well, next week will be, you know. Next Monday is May 22, so that would be the date when we want to think about our the relative maturity of our hybrids, and if we need to be shortening them up or not, and then also, if we look at. if we planted between May, 20 and May 25. We're looking at about 95% of maximum yield and if we plan it on may 26 to May 30. We're looking at about 92% of maximum yield. So then, trying to weigh that in comparison to what, what stand you do have
out there? And you know, if you have a final stand at 26,000 for corn, you're looking at about 96% of maximum yield. and if you got a final stand of around 23,000. You're looking at 92% of maximum yield so kind of trying to weigh whether it would be beneficial to replan or keep the existing stand.
Yeah. And and again, you've got a lot of nice resources online as well to in our extension crops or corn website, too, and just one thing of the planning date. I know another year where we were faced with a wet spring, and
I think it was 2019. We did that planning date survey as well, too, and I just remember some comments that just stuck out because we did a farmer survey. And so if this farmer that entered that survey is listening. I'm reminding you, he said, remind me to never plant corn in June, so you know that's just some of them just did not have
very good luck with that. But anyway, I know you can push it a little bit. But hopefully, we're not going to be faced with that situation this year. Any other comments I see we're getting close to the end of the time. Here. We didn't want to get back to that we we control part 2 again. I mean, if people didn't get their pre emergent service sides down, there are a number of products you can apply
post emergence. You want to get that residual control out there. Certainly, since we have so many issues with water hemp, make sure you're checking those labels. So make yeah again to make sure you can apply that what the windows are, and so forth, any final comments. So i'll ask you first any final comments you want to have before we wrap it up today?
No, just based on your last comment, though I think if they didn't get a pre down, you know they may. If they had a good pre plan, they may not have had a really a hot post plan, so it might be a time to reallocate some of those dollars they save from their pre and and get a better post ordered up for them. That might be an option, and psychologically a way to to kind of make that move into spending a little bit more than they planned on. based on savings earlier.
The other thing I would, you know, recycle this. This point earlier I made about stands and soybeans, and I mean, I just want farmers to really think about what their crop is going to look like middle of the season. If they do have areas that are thin. it may not be that advantageous yield wise or economically to plant or spike more soybeans in. But if they can reduce, if they can get a better canopy in some of those small spots.
and even if it's an a/C or 2 that they can reduce the the weed pressure late season that could really reduce their stress later in the year, and trying to deal with some of those things, so extra canopy and Soybean is really our friend. And so. even outside the yield side of this, I think farmers should really work to get a good. even, heavy canopy, and their soybean crop midseason for for weed control it's it's really our it's really a big hammer out there for us
good good points there. How about you, Jeff? Any parting comments here before we wrap it up for today? Nope. All right. Well, I hope everybody has a hopefully. We have some nice weather, and everybody can wrap up planting, and we have a successful and safe rest of the planting season here and and field season, and again like to thank everybody for attending our extension strategic farming field notes program today
and again, when you log off, there's a really short survey. We really do appreciate your feedback for that again. It's really short. We also ask for questions that you'd like to address next week, and of course we'd like to thank our speakers Seth name and Jeff Colter today as well, and have a great rest of the day, and we'll see you next week on. I gotta make sure. I thank our sponsors to the Minnesota Saving Research and Promotion Council and the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council.
All right. Thanks. Everyone have a great rest of the week.