Producers Blog

Kent Reinhardt (DSM, Region 6 – Southern)

My territory, which covers southwest Kansas, southeast Colorado and north central Kansas, is normal this winter. That is hot and dry. Hot for December and dry is normal, although we are much drier than normal.

2012 was an interesting year for corn production in the three areas that I cover. With the exception of a few pockets along old Highway 40 in the northwest part of my territory, there was no dryland corn harvested as grain. Even where dryland corn was harvested as grain, the best yields barely touched 50 bushels/acre with most in the low to mid-20 bushels/acre range or lower. The 5623-5624 family performed the best, in fact it was often the only dryland variety harvested as grain in those pockets.

In general, irrigated corn in southwest Kansas performed better in 2012 than in 2011. Cooler nighttime temperatures during pollination were the key to better yields in 2012. Other factors, including later planting, reduced plant populations and better water management played a role in improved yields. Producers Hybrids key hybrids were 7623, 7624, 7574 and 7224.

Projections for 2013 are difficult at this time. Sizeable areas had just enough fall moisture to get their fall wheat plantings up, but the warm fall and early winter have kept the wheat plants alive and growing and as of the middle of December most of my territory is reporting that the wheat crop is going backwards. Only moisture, either rain or snow, will change this. The question is, without moisture, what will the area do for ground cover this spring? Without moisture, spring crops will not germinate.

Other factors in my territory are:

• A sizeable number of irrigated acres were planted to wheat this fall.
• A combination of an early corn harvest, good wheat price and water supply issues (growers used their water allotments for their 2012 corn crop leaving them potentially short for their 2013 crop).
• The three ethanol plants in my trade territory are looking to process more grain sorghum. One of the plants even paid for growers’ milo seed if they lived within the plant’s four county trade territory.

My Colorado growers need snow in the southern Rockies so that the Arkansas River has water this spring.  As of the middle of December, snow pack in the southern Rockies is 20% of normal. No water in the Arkansas means no irrigation water. When asked to book corn for 2013, the farmers from this area ask why.

There will be irrigated corn grown in southwest Kansas in 2013. However, the questions are about maturity (full season versus short season planted after wheat harvest), planting rate and date (lower populations with a later planting date) and how many acres (irrigated milo acres may increase). Spring moisture conditions and crop prices will be the determining factors.

The whole territory needs moisture but as my grandfathers’ always said, “It will rain when we really need it.”  I guess we don’t really need it.