RYEGATE CORNER- Local dairy farmer Ethan Nelson has planted corn.  When planting corn it’s important to know when and which fields to plant.  The old timers go off of the temperature of the soil to know when to plant, but Ethan has had great success with going off of the calendar.  He states, “Anytime after the 10th of May is a good time to plant.”  Ethan uses a nutrition management plan to monitor his fields for crop rotation. This helps him know when to rotate the crop he is putting in; he has certain fields that he rotates. When rotating a grass field into a corn field the process is plowed, harrowed multiple times, then planted, and also some farmers will apply fertilizer to boost their yield.  The old timers say knee high by the Fourth of July which means your corn is growing well. Late November is usually right around when you will see the farmers harvesting their corn. It is important to have good-yielding corn because it goes in a bunker silo and is fermented into corn silage which is used to feed the cows.

The fields Ethan is rotating are on a five to seven-year grass rotation, and a one to two-year corn rotation.  The reasoning for the nutrition management plan and field rotation is to keep the soil full of nutrition and it also helps with erosion.  Ethan planted Brevant corn seed and planted 90 and 106-day corn.  He also uses corn starter fertilizer that is applied when the corn is being planted to boost the growth and help the seed to start growing. When planting and working the fields it needs to be dry, but since Ethan has already planted his corn he is hoping for a little rain to boost the growth.

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