Corn planting wrapped up Saturday evening just before we started getting rain on Sunday. We started on the second day of April and finished on the 26th. The wet and cool weather made it take a little longer than we would have liked, but we pressed on and got through it.
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| This picture shows how the planter works the ground in a narrow band for the seed to be placed approximately 2" deep in the soil. Notice how the residue around the row is not disturbed. This residue helps keep the soil from washing away when it rains and holds moisture in the ground. The seed is coated with an insecticide to keep worms and slugs from eating the seed before it has a chance to germinate. In the past we would have had to make an insecticide soil application to kill these would be pests to keep this from happening. This technology allows us to keep the worms and microbes in the soil. The pests simply move on to something that tastes better to them instead of our corn seeds. This is one technology that allows us to use fewer pesticides to produce our crops. A little insecticide on the seed itself is much better for the soil ecosystem than making a broad spectrum application to the whole surface of the soil. If we made a soil incorporated application before a heavy rain any soil that eroded away to surface water or wells would have carried the insecticide with it. This method prevents this from happening. |
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| When the ground did get dry enough to plant we ran the planter 24 hours a day to maximize the use of our planter. GPS guided auto-steering makes this task much easier. Technology on the planter allows us to fine tune our settings for the best stand of corn plants we can get. |
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| A Simpson County KY, Red River Sunrise. |
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