IF YOU ASK ALMOST ANY FARMER WHETHER PLANTING CORN EARLY LEADS TO MORE YIELD MOST YEARS, THE ANSWER WOULD BE YES.

We’ve seen a 50-bushel difference planting early versus late several times on our farm. This year near Crookston, MN, we had a plot yield 183 versus the rest of the field (that was planted a month earlier) at 238!

TO BE SUCCESSFUL PLANTING EARLY, YOU NEED HEFTY BRAND 40 SERIES CORN! HERE’S WHY.

40 Series has the industry’s highest COLD germination standard. It’s the only corn we know of that is tested at 40-degree temps. If it doesn’t pass that test, it doesn’t make the cut. 40 Series also has the industry’s best seed treatment designed for planting in cold, 40-degree soils. 40 Series hybrids are hand-picked not only for high yield potential, but also for strong early vigor.

Additionally, the soil must be dry when you plant, and we would highly advise waiting until after your first crop insurance date to begin planting. You may consider adding insecticide at planting time as seed corn maggots and many other insects can potentially be more of a challenge for early-planted corn. Adding a low rate of a low-salt fertilizer to help your young seedlings get off to the best start is helpful, too.

WHEN YOU PLANT CORN IN WARM SOILS AND IT GROWS WHEN IT’S WARM OUTSIDE, THE LENGTH BETWEEN NODES INCREASES GREATLY. That means your corn gets much taller than it otherwise should. In our trials this year, it was not uncommon for early-planted versus late-planted hybrids to differ a foot or more in height. That extra foot provides zero help for yield and profitability. The extra foot adds more risk, and the likelihood of wind damage is increased.

PERHAPS PARTLY DUE TO THE EXTRA HEIGHT, LATE-PLANTED CORN ALSO HAS MORE RISK OF GREENSNAP. The other reason greensnap is often worse if you wait and plant your corn when it’s warm is that it is growing and expanding too fast. Also, in some parts of the country, the nighttime temperatures are too warm later in the season, which is a negative since corn plants need cooler evenings to repair and to grow.

IF YOU PLANT WHEN IT’S WARM, YOUR ODDS OF REACHING POLLINATION BEFORE THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER ARE LESS. If it’s too hot at tassel time, the viability of the pollen could be less and, ultimately, the pollination of your corn ears could be compromised.

IF YOU WAIT TO PLANT CORN RATHER THAN PLANTING IT EARLY IN COOLER SOILS, YOUR CORN IS MORE LIKELY TO BE WETTER AT HARVEST TIME. Each point of moisture is going to cost you in drying expense or in time as you wait for it to dry down in the field.

WHEN YOU PLANT LATER IN WARMER SOILS, YOUR CORN IS MORE DESIRABLE FOR SOME INSECT PESTS. Examples include fall armyworm, western bean cutworm, corn earworm, and 2nd-generation European corn borers, in our experience. It often has a smaller root system than early-planted corn, which makes it harder to tolerate corn rootworm larvae feeding.

YOUNGER PLANTS HAVE A TOUGHER TIME WITH DISEASES IN GENERAL BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT AS FAR ALONG IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT WHEN THE DISEASE HITS. As we have seen the last two growing seasons, for example, Southern rust needs a living host, and later-planted corn gets hit much harder as it has green material further into the growing season. This is true with other diseases like gray leaf spot and tar spot, as well.