Posted: 6/6/06
Farmers happy with spring planting so far
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The week of cold, wet weather that hit the Caledonia area in mid-May didnít seem to hurt spring planting.
Some Fillmore County farmers had to replant after the ground turned wet and got packed down, Jerrold Tesmer, U of M ag. technical advisor, said on June 1. But he hadnít heard any reports of that in Houston County, where he works on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The week of wet weather held things up, Tesmer said. ìBeyond that itís been a good spring.î
Caledonia farmer Jerry Frank agreed. ìOur crops look good,î he said on June 1.
ìThings will catch up,î Frank said, referring to the week of cold weather. ìAnd the hay looks good. Corn is coming good.î
Most of the early hay was chopped for silage. The balers are making their rounds now, mostly by beef farmers.
Farmers are reporting good germination of soybeans and corn. Things really took root after record heat and high humidity hit the region the weekend of May 27, Tesmer said. ìIt sure was good for getting the crops up out of the ground.î
Dairy farmers have been cutting and chopping their first crop of hay, and the high humidity improved its quality, Tesmer said.
Beef farmers are waiting for the hay to fill out more, he added.
ìI was surprised looking at the soybeans fields at how fast it germinated,î Tesmer said.
There is plenty of moisture in the ground too, he added. ìMy im pression is weíve got pretty good moisture levels in the ground.î
Most of the chopped hay is stored for fall and winter feeding, Tesmer said. Beef farmers like more tonnage and quality isnít as important.
Tesmer said that farmers should consider forward contracting for fall delivery if the price is where it needs to be.
ìIf there is an opportunity to lock in a profit, they should go ahead and take it,î he advised.
One rule of thumb that Tesmer likes is that good weather on the fourth of July will mean a good crop. But that can also bring a price decline in July and August, because a great crop usually means the prices will be low. Thatís a traditional problem with farming, Tesmer said.
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