Search Site   
News Stories at a Glance
Deere 4440 cab tractor racked up $18,000 at farm retirement auction
Indiana legislature passes bills for ag land purchases, broadband grants
Make spring planting safety plans early to avoid injuries
Michigan soybean grower visits Dubai to showcase U.S. products
Scientists are interested in eclipse effects on crops and livestock
U.S. retail meat demand for pork and beef both decreased in 2023
Iowa one of the few states to see farms increase in 2022 Ag Census
Trade, E15, GREET, tax credits the talk at Commodity Classic
Ohioan travels to Malta as part of US Grains Council trade mission
FFA members learn about Australian culture, agriculture during trip
Timing of Dicamba ruling may cause issues for 2024 planting
   
Archive
Search Archive  
   
Post-flood replanting: How best to determine strategy

By ANN HINCH
Assistant Editor

JEFFERSON TWP., Ind. — Like every other farmer who has lost row crops to the recent flooding in southern Indiana, James Lankford has to decide what to replant on the acres that will allow it this year.
“We do have some crop insurance,” he said of a loss of probably 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans, “but it doesn’t pay nearly as much” as selling the finished product, especially at current futures prices. “You’re not going to get that $1,000 you lost on that acre; you might get $200.”
Where he lives, it will be too late to replant corn once the water recedes and he cleans debris out of fields. Corn reached a high of $7.65/bushel for December futures on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) the afternoon of June 13, pushed by flooding concerns – but in Morgan County, the USDA loan rate as of June 6, under the new farm bill, is only $2.02. The national rate is $1.95.
Soybeans – for which there are still some weeks to replant – are at a national average of $5/bushel and Morgan County is slightly higher at $5.11. But on June 13, the CBOT rate for November futures was at $15.31.

Corn

For farmers who do want to replant corn, Darren Goebel advised taking stock of the current crop.
“Corn can only handle water for maybe three days, because it runs out of oxygen,” said Goebel, Pioneer International agronomist for southern Indiana, based in Evansville.
He advised growers to dig up a stalk and split it in half to “read” the surrounding crop potential. If the growing point inside is still white and healthy, there’s a good chance the plants will grow to maturity; if it’s turning brown – probably not.
The thing about corn is to make sure it’s planted early enough so frost won’t reach it before the black layer stage, up to which kernels are still accepting sugars. Goebel pointed out there are different zones even in Indiana; in Indianapolis, the average first frost date is Oct. 13, but in Evansville, it’s 10 days later.
There are short-maturity varieties farmers can plant even now in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio – used typically in more northern climates – but Goebel warned, “You’re not going to get as much yield, because those hybrids are gathering less sunlight in that time,” and that when that kind of corn reaches maturity, Corn Belt conditions may be too hot and dry for it, just as last summer.
However, “if the trend we’ve seen continues, we’ll be all right,” he said.
Replanting corn this late is chancy, but Goebel acknowledged, “With commodities prices where they are, it may be worth the risk.” He added if the soil is already treated with nitrogen and herbicide, and especially if farmers already have delivery contracts for their corn, it may be worth replanting with lower-yield varieties.
In 1995, Indiana also had a wet spring and farmers were planting corn as late as June 7. “The crops weren’t what you’d like for them, but they were okay,” Goebel noted.
Some corn growers who can’t replant might want to consider grain sorghum, he said. It is a hardy crop that can handle dry weather at critical growing times and it can be planted late.
“It makes a very good feed,” he said, but admitted, “The problem is, what does everybody want now? They want corn; they want soybeans.”

Indiana soybeans

Goebel knows some farmers pinning their hopes on replanting corn as late as June 20, since they’ve already put nitrogen and corn-specific herbicide in the ground. Some may have washed away, but he said some, such as atrazine, bind tightly to the soil and could injure double-crop soybeans.
Goebel recommended corn growers contact A&L Great Lakes Laboratories, Inc. in Fort Wayne, to test their soil for atrazine levels. He said the turnaround for results is about five days. A&L is online at www.algreatlakes.com and may be reached at 260-483-4759 or by e-mail at lab@algreatlakes.com
For those planting soybeans in recently flooded fields, he suggested inoculating with rhizobium, a bacterium that produces nitrogen for soybeans in the plant’s nodules. Naturally occurring rhizobium in the soil may have been suffocated by water. Goebel said a side-dress application of nitrogen later in the season may be necessary, as well.
Of course, this is if farmers can come by soybean seeds, which are in short supply. Goebel said Pioneer has been scrounging for unused seed in the South, since planting is finished there, to bring to Midwest customers. He explained more than one seed company had to throw out soybean seeds last year because of low germination – the extreme heat and drought stunted developing seeds.

Iowa soybeans

In Iowa, “Soybeans can still be planted until early July,” said Palle Pedersen, Iowa State University extension soybean agronomist. He added it is important to wait three to five days after a crop has been damaged before replanting.
“Fortunately, most soybean fields were planted three weeks later than we would like to see, and therefore, the plants were barely out of the ground when the storms came through Iowa,” he said.
Soy plants underwater for three to six days will die, Pedersen explained. As soon as the plant emerges, the growing point, located between the cotyledons, is aboveground. The soybean plant is considered dead if it is still in the cotyledon stage and is cut off below them, or if it is damaged to such a degree that there is no remaining green leaf tissue.
The Iowa Soybean Assoc. (ISA) stated accurately estimating soybean plant population is important before making replanting decisions.
Plant population should be based on an accurate stand count, along with the date of replanting and its cost. Only some areas of a field may require replanting if the majority seems to have enough viable plants remaining.
According to Pedersen, ISU studies have shown a final stand as low as 73,000 per acre has consistently yielded more than 90 percent of the optimum plant population.
That is a little more than two plants per foot of row in 15-inch row spacing, and a little more than four plants per foot in 30-inch spacing.  Soybean plants can compensate for missing plants by branching out to make up for a thin stand.
Changing to an earlier maturing variety is not necessary unless replanting is very late, stated the ISA. Planting a native full season variety is recommended until June 20 in northern and central Iowa and early July in southern Iowa. After those dates, it is recommended to shorten the maturity group by 0.5 or 1.0. More information can be found at www.soybeanmanagement.info
Finally, Goebel said, “If (farmers) don’t replant, and they don’t do anything, they still have to deal with weed control.” He suggested specific questions be directed to one’s seed sales representative.

6/18/2008