Central Valley Cooperative

Much has transpired since the last Agronomy Notes, Corn has put on 4-5 collars and is approaching V8 for a mid-April planting date and is 19” tall at that collar with total plant height knee high or 24-25” tall. Some of the early planted soybeans have put on 3-4 growth stages and are almost 8” tall with some of the replanted soybeans still poking through.

Corn plant development is from V4 on corn planted in early May to almost V8 for corn planted in mid-April. We are still seeing signs of slow emergence from the spring, either from slightly less than ideal planting conditions in certain areas of the field, poor seed to soil contact as well as germination differences within hybrids.

Read more …

We started the week with temperatures in the mid to upper 60’s°F and some scattered rainfall and gusty winds on Sunday followed by dropping temperatures and cloudy weather into Tuesday morning. Temperatures dropped enough that on Tuesday morning we may have experienced some very light scattered frost. (I have not seen any frost damage yet, but have seen some wind and/or sandblasting damage as well as some Silver Leaf Corn Syndrome.)

Soil Temperatures fluctuated from 42°F-84°F at the 2” depth and 45°F-75°F at the 4” depth with soil temperatures at the 8” depth ranging 49°F-65°F

Read more …

We started the week with some warmer temperatures on Sunday followed by some very spotty rainfall and hail later in the day and into the evening hours. The old adage that if it rains on Easter Sunday you will receive rain for Seven Sundays is holding true for the most part. It seemed as though there were spotty scattered showers throughout the area all week with rain amounts varying from .01 to 1” or more.

Air temperatures ranged from 41°F to 87°F with temperatures moderating as the week progressed. Wednesday and Thursday were on the breezy side that helped dry the soil out which allowed a few planters to get back into the field later in the week.

Read more …

The week of April 25 was windy enough so that a few farmers commented that they were wondering if it was an election year. This wind did help dry out the soil enough that there was some planters rolling in the field mid to late week.

The week of April 26 to May 2 did have some wind with speeds of 5-20 MPH compared with the previous week of 15-30 MPH. This wind coupled with warm sunny days helped dry the soil so that farmers were planting in some of the best field conditions that have experienced in a few years.

Read more …

We started the week on the rainy and windy side and were able to string together a few days of highs in the mid to upper 60°F into the mid 70°F’s. These warmer temperatures coupled with some drying winds allowed Farmers to work fields and also to start planting corn midweek.

Soil temperatures have fluctuated from 38°F- 80°F at the 2” depth and 41°F- 70°F at the 4” depth, with soil temperatures at the 8” depth ranging 43°F -60°F.

Read more …

Soil Temperatures at 8:00AM April 16th, 2015 were 46°F at 6” and 47°F at 2”

Saw a few planters in the field yesterday and came across a field that a portion of the field was worked that morning, with the vast majority of the field being worked the day before. The portion of field that was worked that morning had seed furrows that were open in a few areas in the field. Otherwise, the portion of the field that had more drying time looked good.

Read more …

Soil Temperatures Friday were 32°F and were 38°F on Sunday. Both Saturday and Sunday were a little breezy with Sunday having gusts 20 MPH or more for an extended period of time. Temperatures were in the low 50°F’s Sunday afternoon, this coupled with the wind made short work of any areas with snow left on the ground.

I have been told that sump pumps have been running in certain areas, which in most cases points to frost being out.

Read more …

Spring is Around the Corner

The winter weather seems to be holding on with recent below Zero temperatures and snowfall. With that being said the sun is rising just a little earlier and setting just a little later every day. In February alone we picked up 74 minutes of daylight from the start till the end of the month.
High School winter sports tournaments have started and some folks are starting to talk about NCAA March Madness for Basketball and the Frozen Four with Hockey. With all this activity taking place spring usually is right around the corner.

Read more …