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April 6, 2001

Weather woes dampen
corn prospects

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

The old saying, "When it rains, it pours," sums up the conditions farmers in much of North and Central Texas have faced in trying to get their seed in the ground this spring. Corn producers, in particular, have been thwarted by saturated soils and the threat of rain throughout March.

"The optimum window, from a calendar standpoint, has already passed for corn planting in much of Central and North Texas," said Texas Cooperative Extension agronomist Cloyce Coffman, who advises against planting beyond April 1.

The long-time rule of thumb that late-planted corn results in lower yields was confirmed by a four-year study conducted by Coffman in trials at College Station and Thrall. Corn hybrids with three different maturity rates used in the test plots indicated the highest grain yield was obtained each of the four years either from the first or second planting date—usually in mid- to late February. Trials suggested that for optimum results, Central Texas producers should plant corn in the last week of February or the first week of March.

So much for that, said Gary Stanford, Extension agent in Ellis County where conditions were too wet for any kind of planting until farmers got a little break March 22.

"We're some 20 days late. We're kind of planting the ridges. Most of our fields in our bottom land are still pretty wet. We'll probably start those Monday (March 26), if we can avoid this rain. Some of the growers have said they would still plant corn up to April 1," he reported. "For sure, we're still wet and our growers are just making the best decisions as fast as they can."

In addition to rain delays, high fertilizer costs, and poor corn prices may cause Ellis County producers to switch to grain sorghum or soybeans.

"Certainly the cotton price outlook and expenses associated with our dryland cotton makes that crop a hard choice to rotate to," he added.

Ellis County producers traditionally plant 112-115 day maturing varieties. Planting early maturing varieties might be an advantage in a year like this, but Stanford said seed availability will likely preclude that option.

"We plant in the range of 20,000-25,000 acres of corn, year in and year out. It's a rotating kind of thing. Corn is, of course, a great cash-value crop, but in terms of overall plantings, we plant more wheat and cotton, traditionally," he said.

On March 23, the Ellis County wheat crop was in the pre-boot, jointing stage. Stanford said many producers had top dressed wheat with airplanes because it was too wet to get into fields.

McLennan County corn grower Jean Davis, who chairs the Texas Farm Bureau Feed Grains Advisory Committee, said the over abundance of rain had caused problems on land she and her husband, Jeff, farm at Speegleville and China Spring.

"It's still so wet, we're getting stuck. A wheel came off a tractor yesterday," Davis reported on March 23. "We're hoping we don't get a rain tonight or tomorrow, like they are forecasting. I just got off the phone to a friend at Mart and he said it's been too wet to plant anything down there."

Jeff Davis has farmed in McLennan County for 35 years. The Davises plant close to 2,000 acres of corn annually and a thousand acres of wheat, which Jean Davis said looks okay, but not as good as last year's crop.

"Another worry we have with planting corn is aflatoxin. With the late tasseling, we could have some heat problems. We sent back some seeds, and chose varieties for a full season," she said, adding that if additional rain prevented them from completing their corn planting before the end of March, everything else would go to milo.

On March 23, Bill Buxkemper, Hill County Extension agent, indicated that where they could, farmers were getting into fields to plant.

"We had guys who got started here on Wednesday (March 21) in the sandier-type soils in the northern part of the county. And they've been at it yesterday and today. We really do need a day or two more dry weather," he said.

Buxkemper pointed out that even those farmers who succeed in getting their corn crop planted could be in for problems if the soil stays waterlogged.

"I heard that south of here, some are replanting in the Taylor area—some big acreages. If some of these guys get planted and get some real wet weather the next 30 days, it could really hurt. I'd be reluctant to sock a bunch more money into the ground. Regardless of what anyone says, corn in the first 30 to 45 days is just like any other plant, and can't tolerate a whole lot of moisture. Once it gets to be a foot high, it's okay, but it really needs some good growing conditions starting off."

Buxkemper said he had heard rumors that some farmers were trying to change seed they originally booked to early maturing varieties, but he suspects most will stick with what they have grown in the past. He pegged Hill County corn producers' planting intentions at 35,000-40,000 acres. Of that, some 10,000 acres is grown for silage.

"The silage guys have indicated that they are stepping up the plant populations. Even for silage, we still need good growing conditions to just a little past roasting ears. The grain people need one more summer rain to make a good crop. The silage people don't need it, and it's awfully hard to come by," Buxkemper observed.

The Hill County Extension agent expects some corn growers to switch to sorghum, and he said there could be a slight increase in cotton. However, he noted that cotton prices and the prospect for a good price at harvest are pretty poor right now.

On March 26, Milam County Extension agent Dusty Tittle estimated that 10 percent or less of the county's corn crop had been planted.

"We didn't get a tremendous amount of rain over the weekend, but a quarter of an inch will make water stand. With these cool days, it doesn't dry out very fast. I think a lot of the river bottom land that isn't standing in water has been planted. That's sandy and dries out faster. Where we run into problems are in the heavy clay in the upper land," said Tittle.

According to Tittle, corn acreage has been increasing in Milam County in recent years, with anywhere from 35,000-40,000 acres planted to corn, depending on rotation schedules.

"April 15 is the date set by the government as the final corn planting date on prevented planting in their insurance policies. I think farmers may put the pencil to it to see if sorghum will work. It's really hard on corn trying to germinate in 95- to 100-© degree weather and trying to finish out at 100 degrees and no rain. A lot of them purchased seed and can't turn it in. A good producer has contingency plans, but when you're running 30 to 45 days late, you run out of options," he said. "I expect a number of acres will shift to sorghum, and we'll probably have a few more acres of cotton more than we would in a normal year. Again, I think a lot of them may turn to their insurance policies, not to abuse them, but to use them exactly the way they are designed, to cover a situation like we're having this year."