You are paying $4 for 1,000 kernels of seed corn, and with great
precision, bury them, kernel by kernel, bag after bag after bag.
The late Paul Harvey would define that as optimism. But if you
are burying that seed in dry soil, should you plant at a higher
or lower population than usual? And what about maturity; should
it be earlier or later than normal? Your seed corn bill will
have at least five digits, and six digits for many larger farms,
and by spending that much money, your decision has to reflect
more science than optimism. The lack of soil moisture and
questionable growing season weather are the two most pervasive
issues keeping Cornbelt farmers awake at night. But with
planting time approaching and weather maps not indicating much
opportunity for soil moisture recharge, what adjustments should
be made when planters are pulled to the field for the 2013
planting season? Iowa State University corn production
specialist Roger Elmore says there are some reasonable decisions
that should be made about popul