Treena Hein Study supports better decision-making Spring planting of corn and soybeans is just around the corner, and Ontario’s grain farmers are always looking for new data on planting date decisions. The weather, planting other crops, and more can get in the way of target dates for a given crop, but having the newest provincial guidelines is essential in reaching the goal of top yields. “Using local datasets like the ones we’ve developed ensures that recommendations are tailored to Ontario’s specific environmental conditions,” explains Seth Ritsma, who is about to finish his master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Dave Hooker and Dr. Joshua Nasielski at the University of Guelph. But while early planting within the optimal window generally increases yields and avoids losses from late planting compared to normal planting dates (up to 41 per cent reduction in corn and up to 20 per cent in soybean), Ritsma cautions that every year presents potential exceptions. “For example, in 2022 at Elora, prolonged emergence of soybean due to cool earlyseason temperatures combined with below-average rainfall during June and July—when early-planted soybeans enter their reproductive growth stage—resulted in slightly lower yields for the early planting date,” he says. “In this case, it wasn’t a very significant difference, but it highlights that early planting does not always guarantee higher yields, and outcomes depend heavily on seasonal weather patterns.” IF CONDITIONS PERMIT If there are conditions that support an earlier date, Ritsma says farmers should focus on two key decisions: which crop to prioritize for planting and when to switch crop maturity. “Based on our findings, both corn and soybean achieved higher yields on average with early planting, so ideally both crops would be planted simultaneously to maximize yields,” he notes. “That can be impractical for many growers, so in choosing, take note that our results suggest corn should be prioritized. We saw corn yields declining more steeply than soybean yields with delayed planting, while soybean yields remained relatively stable.” Regarding crop maturity, knowing when to switch to shorter-season or longer-season soybean cultivars/corn hybrids is critical for optimizing yield and profitability if planting dates are delayed. But first, Ritsma wants to provide context from the study’s economic analysis, which aimed to determine whether greater yields translated into greater profits. Fluctuations in crop prices and drying costs were included in the team’s evaluation of three profit scenarios: ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER RESEARCH 12 Corn and soybean planting dates
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