Waiting for the right conditions

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Waiting for the right conditions

A western Indiana farmer says although he’s anxious to pick up the planting pace, there is still time to get a crop in the ground.

Kevin Cox tells Brownfield “we’ve been spoiled. We’ve had a couple of really great years to get planting in and last year was exceptional and we were done planting by now. This has just been a different year. We still have a lot of time. Yields aren’t really affected a lot until we get into that mid- to late-May and then you start seeing some issues as far as yield reductions. The biggest challenge is not getting ahead of ourselves and planting into conditions that are going to give us a questionable stand because then if you have to make a decision to replant, you don’t make that decision until the end of May or first of June and then you’re really in trouble.”

Cox says patience during planting season pays off.

“If you plant something into the wet and cool conditions we’re into today you have three weeks to get it out of the ground,” he says. “Yet, if we plant with 80-degree temperatures and plant into dry and warm ground, it takes less than half that. We can make up a lot of ground by planting into the right conditions.”

And, he says the rain delays have allowed him to look at equipment.

“We’ve been looking for another trailer, so we’ve got a line on one over in Illinois and are headed to look at it and see what’s available,” he says. “Trying to find anything as far as equipment is extremely challenging. Demand is really high and if something comes up for sale it’s usually gone the day it’s listed.”

Cox raises corn and soybeans in Clay and Parke counties.

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