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OSU research finds variability in what to plant first

Ohio State University researchers are studying planting dates for corn and soybeans in side-by-side trials.

Soybean Agronomist Laura Lindsey tells Brownfield three locations across the state tracked crop progress for last year’s ‘Battle for the Belt’ project.

“We have corn and soybeans planted the exact same dates, under the exact same conditions, exact same soil types for five dates going from mid-April last year into about mid-June,” she explains. “And, so far the results are what you would expect from an agronomist and it depends.”

For example, she says western Ohio conditions varied from very wet to very dry during the growing season last year which gave early planted soybeans a yield advantage, but planting corn in June had the best result for that crop.

“That’s not normal at all,” she says. “The message is not plant corn in June, the message there I think is soybean is very resilient.”

Lindsey says researchers are finding farmers tend to make their planting decisions based on generational traditions.

“A lot of the older farmers or more established farmers are planting corn first because that’s just the way it’s been done for a long time,” she shares. “We’re seeing maybe the newer generation of farmers interested in planting soybean first.”

She says changes to crop insurance dates for soybeans have also impacted what’s planted first.

Agronomists will give weekly virtual Battle for the Belt updates again this season and planted their first field March 25^th.

AUDIO: Laura Lindsey, Ohio State University

Photo courtesy of Ohio State University.