Mark Swanson is the Case IH Crop Production Specialist for central and northern Illinois and eastern Iowa. A 30-year veteran with Case IH, Mark has specialized in planters since 2006.
Read his report below and let us know if planting is underway in your area. We want to hear from you!
This past weekend finally brought farmers in Illinois and Iowa a reprieve from the cooler temperatures and wet weather. The weather was cool on Sunday, but the sun was shining and a nice breeze helped with drying the wet soil. This week’s forecast is calling for sunshine and warmer temperatures compared to last week, so producers will be hitting it hard and in many areas, getting a large percentage of seed in the ground.
The Case IH Early Riser® planter helps producers achieve earlier, more uniform emergence.
Tillage also has been going well, particularly with the True-Tandem™ 330 Turbo. A few growers have told me that soybean residue in their fields has been stringy, but the 330 Turbo has been effective in chopping up that residue. I’ve also seen quite a few Tiger-Mate 200s working in the fields. In some places, the rain has created a crust over the field, but these tillage tools have resized the clods, leaving a nice seedbed.
Farmers continue to praise the Case IH Early Riser® planter and its Agronomic Design advantage. The Early Riser row unit has 12 unique features that all contribute to earlier, more uniform emergence. Watch this video to learn more about the key agronomic principles of Early Riser planters and how Case IH is setting the industry standard to help you achieve earlier, more uniform emergence.
