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Corn planting is 'on the edge' of getting busy in southern Wisconsin

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Standing water in farm fields such as this one on North Emerald Grove Road in Johnstown Township have kept farmers from getting spring planting done. But a warm spell could make conditions OK for getting into fields.

This weekend was like that moment when the first couple of popcorn kernels burst in the microwave.

Another day or two of springtime warmth, and Rock and Walworth counties will explode in a flurry of corn planting.

And it's about time.

"Farmers are getting ugly," La Prairie Township resident Nancy Niehaus said over the weekend.

She was referring to the mood—not the relative attractiveness—of local farmers, who have been sitting impatiently through a cool, rainy end of April.

Locally, corn planting is "right on the edge" of full swing, said Jim Stute, Rock County UW-Extension crops and soils agent.

The weekend sun dried out and warmed up local fields, he said.

"Today was a great day with the sun and the wind," Stute told The Janesville Gazette on Sunday night. "A couple more days, and away we go."

But many fields still are wet, and soil temperatures still are on the low side in the 40s, Stute said.

There was a time when that might have deterred some farmers.

"It's changed over the years, the way we think about planting," Stute said.

A few years ago, farmers waited until the soil temperatures were in the 50s, he said.

Before that, they waited until oak leaves were the size of squirrels' ears, Stute said.

"Now, it's when you're in the planting window," Stute said.

In south central Wisconsin, that's as soon after April 15 as the ground is ready, said Stute, who does his own farming near East Troy.

"You don't worry about the squirrel thing," Stute said.

With luck, that window will stay open a day or two. AccuWeather predicts more sun Monday and cloudy but dry weather Tuesday.

When the planting starts, it will be fast and furious, Stute said.

"Everything's going to break at once," he said.

Things changed quickly even over the weekend. On Friday afternoon, Stute said he did a "traffic survey" across Rock County on Highway 14.

He saw two cornfields planted.

By Sunday night, corn planters were moving fast in many fields south of Janesville, according to the Gazette's own survey.

Corn and soybeans are the most common cash crops in Rock and Walworth counties. Corn goes in first. Soybeans need more heat and have a shorter growing season, so they will get planted later.

If you're seeing green fields when you drive through the country, it's alfalfa or winter wheat, two crops that survive under the snow, Stute said.

It's too soon to say planting is behind yet this season, Darien Township producer Wes Hopkins said.

"The soil temperature is not that warm yet," Hopkins said. "We're OK. We're all just sitting here waiting to turn the key."