As growers gear up for the upcoming corn planting season, focusing on achieving optimal planting accuracy and stand establishment is crucial and is the core of the AgVenture Maximum Profit System™. The success of your crop largely depends on the precision with which you handle seed flow and singulation. This guide discusses the key factors affecting planting accuracy, the challenges of unpredictable spring weather, and action steps to ensure a successful corn planting season.
What You Should Know:
Impact of Environmental Conditions: The spring weather in the Midwest is unpredictable, ranging from cold and dry to warm and humid. These rapid fluctuations can lead to condensation on seeds, affecting seed flow, causing seed bridging, and ultimately reducing planter accuracy.
Seed Treatment Considerations: Factors like air and seed temperature, relative humidity, seed treatment recipe, and seed size and shape play a significant role in seed flow and plantability. Understanding the impact of these variables is crucial for achieving excellent planting accuracy.
AgVenture’s Security Seed Protection™ powered by LumiGEN® seed treatments for corn protect the genetics from early-season diseases, insects, and nematodes to help maximize yield potential. While all LumiGEN® treated seeds leave the production plant dry, when the dew point outside is above the temperature of the seed (i.e., when it is removed from cold storage into warmer, humid conditions), condensation can start to occur.
Importance of Planter Aids: Planter aids such as talc, graphite, and fluency agent can significantly improve seed flow and singulation. Proper application of these aids, as the planter manufacturer recommends, is essential for enhancing planting accuracy.
Action Steps:
- Diligent Use of Planter Aids:
Thoroughly apply planter aids, such as graphite or a talc/graphite blend, as your planter manufacturer recommends. Research has shown that priming the planter unit and properly mixing the planter aids with the seed significantly improves seed flow and singulation.
- Consult with Local AgVenture Yield Specialist:
Contact your local AgVenture Yield Specialist for precise recommendations on planter settings. Access batch-specific information for individual planters and adjust settings according to planting conditions, following manufacturer instructions.
- Environmental Management:
Gradually increase seed storage temperature and increase airflow to minimize seed condensation. When dealing with large pallets of seed bags, consider warming the seed over several days to prevent condensation from transitioning from cold storage to warmer conditions.
- Maintain and Adjust Planter Settings:
Regular maintenance of planters is critical to ensure optimal performance. Inspect and maintain meters before the planting season to achieve even spacing, reduce competition between plants, and maximize ear count.
Produce More This Year
A proactive approach is needed to achieve excellent planting accuracy and stand establishment for corn in the Midwest. By understanding the impact of environmental conditions, using planter aids effectively, consulting with local experts, and maintaining planters, farmers can navigate the challenges of the planting season and set the stage for a successful crop.