Spring 2025: The First Few Hours or Day of Planting

Corn has already been planted in some parts of the Corn Belt, so this message may come a bit late for those who’ve already begun. With that being said, if you haven’t started planting yet or even if you have a few acres in the ground, take some time to step out of the tractor cab, get behind the planter and start checking how good of a job that planter is doing. You only get so many chances in a farming career to put a crop in the ground, so we need to do it correctly. What you do right—or sometimes wrong—with the planter in the spring can either boost or reduce your yield.

Depth: Is the depth where you want it to be? Is it at a consistent depth from seed-to-seed as well as row-to-row? Most corn planting recommendations are 1.75 to 2.25 inches in depth. I prefer to be closer to the 2-inch depth, and this is after the soil has been compressed over the row with a foot or handprint which lessens the air above and around the seed, mimicking what the seed depth would be after a rain or a few days of a breeze and the soil settling.
Seed Spacing: Today’s monitors do an outstanding job of measuring and recording spacing. However, the phrase “Trust but Verify,” or ground truthing, to make sure the monitor is accurately measuring seed placement is what we need to do. Removing soil on two to four feet of row and measuring the distance between seeds to see if it is at the distance you want.
Seed Shutoffs: If you are utilizing a GPS monitor that has shutoffs, check to see how close they are engaging as you come off or approach the headlands/end rows. Properly calibrated seed shutoffs reduce over planting in the headland as well as engaging them at the proper distance in the field, so you don’t have a gap coming into or off the headland. Properly calibrated seed shutoffs may help reduce seed cost of overplanting and may also increase yield due to proper seed spacing. Properly calibrated seed shutoffs may also decrease some of the spirited discussions at local gathering places.
Seed Placement: Is the seed placed in the bottom of the seed furrow in a consistent manner? If it is not, it may not be accessing nutrients or crop protection products such as fungicide or insecticide as efficiently and not receiving their full intended benefit.
Soil Firming: Is the soil firmed around the seed? Closing wheel type and down pressure can make a significant difference. Soil firmed around the seed will provide more consistent water imbibition and subsequent germination and emergence.
Check every row on the planter, not every setting is the same on each row unit all the time.
Now check your settings and depth in a different part of the field or soil type and adjust those settings to maximize planter performance in varying soil types.

Taking the time during the first few hours or the first day of planting to tweak and fine-tune your planter for optimal performance gives your crop the best chance for success.