CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) – Incessant rain had delayed Iowa farmer Byron Wegner’s planting plans this spring, and prospects of lower yields loomed large if he did not start seeding his corn within a week.
But he had an ace in the hole: two state-of-the-art 24-row planters equipped with satellite guidance systems.
When clear skies provided a window of opportunity, his team seeded all 3,800 acres in just six days.
Technological advances in farm equipment are constantly cutting the time it takes to plant a crop, reducing risks and uncertainties that have price implications across the globe.
Read Also
Petition launched over grazing lease controversy
Battle continues between the need for generation of tax revenue from irrigation and the preservation of native grasslands in southern Alberta rural municipality.
This year more than most, the world is looking to the U.S. crop to replenish dwindling global supplies and slow surging food inflation.
Farmers are taking full advantage of the new technology on rigs that allow them to plant well past sundown and take fewer breaks during the day.
“You put in extra effort,” said Wegner. “You work Sundays and you work late in the night to get it done. Normally we would not push it that hard but it was getting to the point where you had to make a move fast. It was time to get it in if you want optimum yields, no question about that.”
U.S. farmers managed to seed more than a quarter of their corn crop in the week ended May 8, boosting total seedings to 40 percent of intended acreage, according to a U.S. Agriculture Department report released May 9.
The pace surprised analysts who feared rainy weather in the eastern half of the corn belt would limit seeded acreage to 30 percent.
“It is amazing how quickly things go around here as guys have gone to bigger and bigger planters,” said Nebraska farmer Brandon Hunnicutt.
He seeded his entire 2,600 acre corn crop in eight days with a 24-row planter that lets him seed about an acre of corn every two minutes.
Dry weather in the west allowed farmers to fully harness the new technologies, which allow them to move more quickly and efficiently through a field.
Global positioning systems and auto steering let farmers run planters through the night if they wish without worrying about straying off course.
New planters can also seed corn at speeds as much as 50 percent faster than some of the older models, providing a key advantage to growers scrambling between rainstorms.
USDA CORN EXPECTATIONS
Yield expectations will start to fall if farmers cannot get the crop in the ground on time, which is generally considered to be by mid-May.
•corn acreage: 92.2 million, the second largest since 1944
•yield per acre: 161.7 bushels for a potential record crop of 13.73 billion bu., up from the previous record of 13.110 billion bu. produced in 2009
