Corn Report – May 30, 2012

Corn development has been rapid this past week.  Some areas were close to accumulating 200 CHU in 7 days!  Good soil conditions and early planting are paying off as the corn continues to move ahead despite relatively dry conditions.  Some replanting has occurred where low population and uneven stands were caused by cold shock to the seed or seedling.  Yield penalties for late planting get larger in a hurry as you move from late May to early June.  Check the Replant Decision Aid for more information.  Side-dressing is progressing rapidly in some areas. If the crop has not received weed control or nitrogen and weeds are present make weed control the priority.  Initial soil nitrate testing is indicating soil N levels slightly above average and significantly different from 2011.  Soil nitrate testing (PSNT) may assist in fine tuning side-dress N rates.