By Brian Hefty
Do you have your seed corn in your possession yet? As soon as the 2012 drought intensified across the country, many seed companies and farmers became concerned about seed supply for 2013, and rightly so. 2012 saw poor yields and low quality seed in many seed production fields.
The good news is because the seed companies knew early on that seed supply would be an issue, many of them secured extra acres in South America or other areas for winter production. The biggest problem with winter production, though, is it usually doesn’t show up in the Midwest until around May 1. Certainly it could be earlier than that, but I prefer to temper expectations. In years where the spring is wet and cold, a May 1 arrival is no big deal. However, many farmers are already talking to me about March plantings.
So the question is, what do you do if your seed doesn’t show up in time?
- You wait it out.
Depending on the area you are from, super early planting often does not pay anyway; and if you can get 80 percent of your acres in early, planting the rest a little later is probably a good thing. Several times in the past 20 years, our May 10 planting has done better than our April 20 planting; so I like to spread my planting dates at least a little bit. However, if it is getting late, I do not recommend you stay with a full-season hybrid. It is certainly possible it could make it, but your odds go down each day you wait to plant.
OR…
- You switch varieties.
Yield-wise, this probably isn’t a big deal, as no one can predict which hybrids will be the plot winners this year. What is important is that you get the defensive traits you NEED. Notice how I said “NEED.” Certainly, we would all like to have hybrids that can withstand every disease, every insect, and every environmental condition imaginable; but only a few things, if any, are likely to be absolute requirements for you. For example, on our farm we have had some history with Goss’s Wilt issues. In continuous corn, it is now a REQUIREMENT for us to have Goss’s Wilt-tolerant corns. That is non-negotiable for me. Here’s what often happens, though. It is the day you want to plant. You call your seed dealer because your corn still isn’t there. He says, “Sorry, but your seed still hasn’t shown up.” At this point you are mad, frustrated, and probably tired from working some long hours already in the spring. You get emotional and just say, “Get me something! I’ve got to plant!” My point is simply to take the emotion out of it. Remember the defensive traits you actually need, and still pick something that is good for your farm.
Whatever you decide, do your best to remain calm. I know that is hard to do when you ordered and paid for your seed in September, but let’s face the facts. No seed company is overproducing anything anymore because new genetics and traits come out each year. Companies don’t want $200 hybrids they have to dump the next year. On top of that, seed dealers are just as frustrated as you, and probably more. Their livelihood depends on your continued business, and they know you’re not happy when these things come up; but it’s out of their control. Many seed companies promise delivery of certain quantities by certain dates; but Mother Nature, government intervention, shipping companies, customs issues, and other problems often arise. Besides that, unlike pesticides, seed is a living, breathing organism, and sometimes things go wrong.
Our best advice to you is to take your seed early, if possible. If you turn down early delivery, someone else could get your seed. If you do have supply issues this spring, try to stay calm and unemotional. Just work with your seed dealer to make the best of it, and chances are things will work out just fine in the long run.