The cool snap in early April ended abruptly and we began to plant corn on April 14th. We had got all of our pre-plant herbicide and fertilizer applied the week or so prior. Conditions were absolutely ideal being unseasonable warm and dry, and we were able to get all of our corn in within a week.

We then transitioned to pre-plant spraying herbicide on our bean ground. We are again putting down 3 residual modes of action for our non-GMO soybean pre-plant herbicide program. The goal is to greatly limit the amount and size of weeds that we will need to control later, as the options for killing emerged broadleaf weeds in non-GMO soybeans are marginal.

With it still being so warm and a no major cold snaps in the forecast we got an early start planting beans at the end of last week. Research continues to support early planting of soybeans to maximize yield potential by reaching full canopy closure of the rows earlier in the season. This allows more sunlight to be used by the plants.

Things were a bit dusty as you can see in the pictures, but we were able to get the everything thus far in a good seedbed with firm, moist soil around the seeds. Also pictured is the first corn starting to emerge only 8 days after planting. The close-up of the tractor tire shows the high flex of the tires on the tillage tractor; newer tire technology allows lower air pressure, increased flex, and lower ground pressure/compaction than previously possible. Also posted are videos of the tillage, planting, and finishing up planting corn at night.