It Starts at the Planter

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Welcome to this week's episode of the EZAg Podcast, where innovative farming meets practical solutions. I'm your host, Matt Long, and this week as we turn the page to April and spring planting season quickly approaches, we're starting a three-part series on the Top 5 Factors to produce a top crop. Thanks for joining us again.

Now it's time to dig in. I wanted to just take a little bit of time and generally introduce the Top 5 Factors to produce a top crop to all of our guests again today on the podcast. This is kind of something everybody has their own opinion on what makes a top crop. Over the years, we've dialed these factors into things that are within our control and things that we know matter. Often, when guys are in the rush of spring planting season, you get into a hurry and overlook some of these, but they make a difference every time you pay attention to them.

So we’ll run quickly through what all five of those factors are. Today, we’re going to cover the first two, and in the next two podcasts, we’ll cover the remaining three.

The Top 5 Factors to produce a top crop are:

• First, soil conditions at planting time.

• Second, seed placement.

• Third, seed quality.

• Fourth, right hybrid, right field.

• Fifth, post planting management.

Today, we’re going to focus on the first two: soil conditions at planting time and seed placement. These both happen at the planter pass and are very much interconnected, but there are some differences between what they are and why we focus on them.

Let’s start with soil conditions at planting time. This is really setting the foundation before the planter ever rolls or while the planter is in the field. It’s about deciding if the soil conditions are fit to plant. There are two main pieces to that: soil temperature and soil moisture.

We want it warm enough and we want it wet enough, but not too wet or too cold. It’s very important to pay close attention to this when going to the field and make sure conditions are fit to plant.

From a soil temperature standpoint, we want to see at least 50 degrees as a minimum. If you're measuring minimum soil temperature, you need to be in the field using a soil probe thermometer at about 2 to 2.5 inches deep between 9 and 10 AM. That’s when soil temperature is at its lowest point of the day.

If you check later in the afternoon, you might see higher temperatures that aren’t truly reflective of conditions the seed will experience. That 50-degree mark is the minimum, and there’s a strong case to be made for waiting until 55 degrees or higher.

It’s also important to look at the weather forecast. The soil temperature in the coming days matters just as much as the temperature at planting. You want those temperatures to hold or increase while the seed is germinating.

The other piece is soil moisture. We want moisture at that 2 to 2.5 inch depth so the seed is surrounded by moisture right after planting. In the first 30 minutes after planting, the seed takes in most of the water it needs to begin germination.

But we don’t want soils that are too wet. Planting into wet conditions can cause sidewall compaction or smearing in the seed trench. This makes it difficult for roots to penetrate and develop properly.

On the other hand, if soils are too dry, you risk uneven emergence because moisture levels will vary across the field.

A simple test is to grab a handful of soil, form a ball, and squeeze it. If it turns into a pancake, it’s too wet. If it crumbles after some pressure, it’s about right. If it won’t hold together at all, it’s too dry.

Soil conditions at planting time are something you can control. You can’t control the weather, but you can control whether you plant or wait. Getting this right creates the foundation for your crop. If you get it wrong, you’re trying to fix problems all season.

The second factor is seed placement. This is about controlling what happens during the planter pass. The main focuses here are planting depth and spacing.

Corn should be planted at a minimum of 2 inches deep, with 2.25 inches being ideal. In some conditions, planting deeper can help establish a stronger root system and improve drought tolerance.

If you plant too shallow, you risk poor root development. The plant may struggle to properly establish its root system, leading to weaker plants.

Spacing is also critical. Every plant needs equal access to resources. When spacing is inconsistent, plants compete unevenly, which impacts growth and yield.

As populations increase, spacing becomes even more important. Small inconsistencies can lead to significant competition between plants.

Seed placement is about consistency. Consistent depth leads to uniform emergence. Consistent spacing leads to uniform growth.

Soil conditions influence how evenly your crop emerges, and seed placement influences how evenly it grows.

If you can control both of these at planting, you set your crop up for success.

Next week, we’ll cover seed quality and placing the right hybrid on the right field. Then we’ll wrap up the series with post planting management.

Thanks again for joining us today.

Remember, Ag is easy when you tune in to the EZAg Podcast. Grow your yield, grow your legacy, grow strong with Axis Seed Red Barn Enterprises.