The Importance of Planting Depth

We often hear that you should shallow up your planting to get seed out of the ground faster, or plant deeper to get to moisture.  That being said I have also heard that you don't need to worm sheep if you feed them oats, "it spears the worms" as one farmer back home used to say.  You tell me which one sounds the worst.  While there is some truth to planting deeper in times of extreme drought or when you work too far ahead of the planter, the other two sayings have little merit.

Plant variation from 1" planting depth

The name of the game really is uniform emergence and putting the seed in a place that will have little variation in temperature and moisture.  In the early spring these temperature swings are more likely as we often get those cold wet nights that will effect germination.  Later in the season getting seed out of the ground fast is not really an excuse, as soil temperatures warm up I have seen corn come out of the ground in less than 5 days planted 2.5" deep.  Corn plants will also set brace roots at the same distance from the crown whether it's 1/2" or deeper so often we will find brace roots set higher on shallow planted corn.  This can lead to brace roots burning off in dry soil conditions we often get in July and August.






So what is the ideal seed depth for corn?  I'd say 2" is still a very good number, and in worked ground you need to account for 1/4" of settling.  I often get the question, so where do I set my planter to get 2"?  The best thing we can do is get out and dig.  This depth will vary on down pressure, soil type, and planting conditions.  This is something I would recommend doing on every field and checking every time you get out to fill the planter.  I have seen all sorts of reasons this is a good idea.  In the past two years I have seen broken seed disks, missing gauge wheels, and many other things go wrong that were missed for several passes.  It's very hard to get a do over on one row across a field.

A seed firmer also helps with even planting depth to get every seed to the exact same depth.  A big problem I have seen with some types of row units is that with offset seed disks and RID (Reduced Interior Diameter) wheels is we get seeds hanging up in the side walls from the lower angle of the disks and air pockets left from the bulge in the RID wheels.  A firmer will often help with this, but not cure it entirely.  These are all reasons I have preferred setups for each area I work in.

So before you head to the field this year, consider planting depth and consistent planting depth while you work on your planter.  It's these little things that will determine if each corn plant is a good plant or a weed. 

Consumers Don't Want To Talk To Me, They Want You

Generations two to five of our family on the same farmstead

I told this to a customer a few months ago and it stunned him.  It's the truth though.  To non-Ag types I am not a "reliable" source.  I sell Monsanto products, I am the purveyor of herbicides and GMO's.  Forget that I have a degree from a well respected agronomy program at Purdue University, I had advanced genetics, botany and plant pathology, and several chemistry courses, and I am a 7th generation farmer.  Don't get me wrong, I have tried having conversations about agriculture with friends and family. It's never ended well.  I'm always civil and use just facts trying to get them into terms they can relate to and understand. 

My wife and I in the tractor cab this fall

It really boils down to how far most are removed from the farm and how they receive information.  It's also a generational issue, Millenials, Generation Y and X receive news and information from the internet.  Mom's trust other moms not people like me.  In fact, it's proven that they will trust other moms writing blogs more than they trust anyone else.  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/12/survey-moms-trust-blogs-and-peers-over-government-sources-for-food-info/#.UyEWo4Wuo4w

The people they want to hear from is you, the farmers.  They trust you more than the government and scientists.  In most of their views the government and respected scientists can be bought by the large chemical companies.  This is why we are told not to call you producers, you are farmers, that's the
term they recognize and feel comfortable with.  In their mind you have a pitch fork in one hand, raise animals like our great grandparents did, and you plow fields with a team of horses.  That's what is shown to them from the time they are children.

This takes me back to a few months ago, sitting in that farm office.  It shocked my customer so much we had a 30 minute conversation on why I should be the one talking to people not him.  "You know the science behind this stuff, and you aren't biased on what company or trait we use," he told me.  I know this as well, but they don't want to hear from me.  They trust you, and that is why your message is so important.  People from country backgrounds are typically reserved about government and the rest of the community.  We are hesistant to talk to others about what we do, we mind our own
business, we have done this for years, and if the government passes another law we just work that much harder to follow the rules.

This is one area where we can't just turn our cheek and say it won't affect us.  There has been an increasing scrutiny of what we do regardless of if it's warranted or not.  The last 5 years has seen one attack after another on agriculture and it isn't going to get any better.  People like the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, and others won't just go away.  Unless you tell your story we will see more people blindly back them.

So what can you do?  Be kind and courteous to people talking badly about farming.  If you can't answer their questions feel free to contact people like me who can get you the answers and break down the science behind the products we use.  The most important thing is tell your story.  Don't correct them, tell them how you do what you do and why.  You can start a blog like several successful ones there already are online.  Use social media like twitter and Facebook to connect to young generations.

Two really good examples are:
     Dairy Carrie                                       Brian Scott
http://dairycarrie.com/                   http://thefarmerslife.com/

I think this is the most important issue facing agriculture right now.  It's up to you to defend what you know and love.  Farming is a way of life that we love and most don't understand.  Your passion and knowledge of what you do is the best way to show people why we are doing the right thing for the security of their food supply.