Seeds for Success

By Louis Sutton
AgVenture Product Manager and Agronomy Lead

In my travels the last few weeks, I have seen some very concerning planting going on.  I traveled to Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Missouri and witnessed a variety of conditions. Some planting has gone well where the corn has already spiked up out of the ground.  In other areas, I’ve seen pivots running just to wet the ground before planting because the ground was too dry and hard. I’ve also seen planters going in extreme mud, and planters running around and through snow drifts. All of these efforts to get the seed planted, even when conditions are favorable, would tell you to wait.

We have not had very many heat units until last week in many of those same locations, which means it is okay to relax and wait to get the crop planted until the conditions are ideal. Remember, the conditions you plant into – and the way you plant – set the growing season up for either success or failure.

More concerns I’ve seen over my travels include some frozen corn that was planted too early and it has been damaged. I have also seen corn that has turned purple because the weather has been too cold for proper growth. A local retailer was called in to apply extra fertilizer to the purple corn – causing an additional and unnecessary expense.  We need to remember these things as the summer and crops progress, and they will cause issues that need to be addressed later on in the season.

Remember, we make money two times a year in farming: planting and harvest. These are the times to do things right. To develop a planting plan specific to your location, talk to your AgVenture Yield Specialist.

If you would like to learn more about how you can thrive by becoming an ISC, let us know.

Hear what farmers are saying

“I use AgVenture because of their excellent products, service, and agronomic support. When we need something they respond quickly. I can’t think of any reason why we wouldn’t use AgVenture. AgVenture stressed the importance of new technology on our farm and is helping us maximize our yield maps, soil grid maps, and fertilizer application data. I do business with AgVenture because they are very trustworthy and service oriented.”

- Kansas Farmer

“We’ve had the AgVenture Spangler 'Training Plots' for several years. The plots help us in our corn and soybean selections. For 3 generations, we have been using AgVenture Spangler products.”

- Wisconsin Farmer

“I consider everyone at AgVenture a friend and I can tell that they are really looking out for me and my farming operation. AgVenture is an easy company to work with and you cannot beat the service. When I have questions about my crops I call AgVenture and they are here right away helping me find the answer.”

- Kansas Farmer

“An AgVenture Yield Specialist showed me what my yields could be with AgVenture seed and I thought they were impossible because they were so good.”

- Nebraska Farmer