Minnesota corn farmers prep to roll in April
written by Jonathan Eisenthal
Down on his farm near St. James, Harold Wolle was out the morning of March 20 with a wire probe to test frost depth.
“The frost is out in some spots, but it’s not gone all over. In some spots we’d go down a foot and a half before we got to any frost,” Wolle said. “I don’t think the frost goes more than three feet deep.”
With a little bit of strong sunshine and warming temperatures, Wolle, who farms with his son, anticipates starting corn planting somewhere around April 13-15.
Karl Duncanson, who farms with his brother Pat, wife Jackie, sons Karson and Kameron and sister-in-law Kris near Mapleton, thinks they may get going a little later, but still before the end of April.
“My guess is, pretty close to the last week in April,” said Duncanson. “We have a lot of frost in the ground yet. Temperatures last week were warm, but this week, they are moderate. It will not be early April. Around April 25 is normal for us, plus or minus.”
Spring preparation work is much the same across Minnesota’s 80,000 farms; what’s different is the timing. Compared to the cold, wet springs the past two growing seasons, 2015 promises to get off to a timely start.
Mickey Peterson, who has farmed in partnership with his four brothers near Sacred Heart since 1975, says they’ve long been in the habit of prepping their equipment almost as soon as they’ve finished with it. That leaves the month of March a little more open for Peterson’s other occupation: seed dealer. This week, Peterson’s calendar is full with other area farmers scheduled for seed pickups.
Peterson said the frost is not too deep at his northwestern Renville County location, so they want to be ready to go when the weather and the soil allows.
“We put the shovels on the tillage equipment and replace what needs replacing right after we use it in the spring,” Peterson said. “We do the same thing in the fall. The combines are harvest-ready before the crop is even in the ground.”
With a bit of time to spare, doing the once-over in March works well for others.
“The planter is next on the list,” Wolle said. “We’ve been working on the tillage equipment. We put new shovels and teeth on the field cultivator and harrow and we have some work to do on the disc yet. And then we’ll bring the planter into the shop. The interesting thing about the planter is all the electronics, the GPS and the monitoring system. It takes a refresher course each spring for those of us who operate it, because you tend to forget what you did the year before.”
Farmers are also monitoring fields to ensure the appropriate nutrients will be available to the plants when they need it. Duncanson splits the application of nitrogen on their farm, with most going on in the fall. The manure from the Duncanson family hog operation adds a rich spectrum of nutrients and improves the soil texture and biology. By collaborating with the Southern Outreach and Research Center in Waseca on a nutrient management plan, Duncanson works hard to establish best management practices.
“We might do some pre-plant fertilizer this spring,” said Duncanson. “But we’ll assess the crop and look at the different needs for each field. There are even software applications that help you gauge nitrogen levels for the year as the weather changes.”
Peterson also uses a fertility program that works well for their farm and adjusts depending on crop needs and the weather.
“Mother Nature is a lot smarter than what us humans can come up with a lot of the time,” said Peterson.
According to estimates from the USDA, farmers plan to plant more soybeans than last year. Some will return to 50-50 corn and soybean rotations. Some, like the Petersons, have kept to that rotation all along.
“I think price is going to change that attitude for a lot of people.” Mickey Peterson said. “We’ve been fifty-fifty for many years. It works out well in our harvest programs and our ability to handle the corn in the fall of the year. And you can use soybeans to create some of the fertility that will get used in the next year’s corn.”
Another important part of the spring landscape are conservation acres, which provide a wonderful outdoors experience for farmers across the state as they work the land and pass by wildlife habitat.
Wolle particularly loves seeing the wildlife in the 100 acres of woods he has preserved along the Watonwan River. White-Tail Deer, wild turkeys, coyotes, owls and a nesting Eagle are among the wildlife that call these woods home.
“I think there’s not a farmer alive that doesn’t get pleasure from the landscape in the spring,” said Wolle.
