Persistent rains during May and early June have resulted in ponding and saturated soils in many Ohio corn fields and led to questions concerning what impact these conditions will have on corn performance.

As producers are planning their seed needs for next year, it is important to think about acreage, hybrids, and seeding rates. Finding the best corn seeding rate is important for efficient production, but the “optimum” corn seeding rate – the one that maximizes profitability – can vary within and among fields with small differences in soils and weather.

The annual Northwest Ohio Corn & Soybean Day is scheduled for Friday, January 19th in Founders Hall at Sauder Village in Archbold from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The program has a variety of speakers, a farmer/retailer re-certification credits and nearly 30 exhibitors sharing information on management practices for the 2018 crop production season. This year’s Corn/Soybean Day offers the three-hour Pesticide applicator re-certification (CORE, 1, 2, 6) plus one hour of re-certification for fertilizer applicators (15) as well as 4 hours of Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits.

According to the USDA/NASS (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ohio/Publications/Crop_Progress_&_Condition/2017/cw2117oh.pdf), for the week ending May 21, corn was 73 percent planted, which was 24 percent ahead of last year and the same as the five-year average.