Our Perspective
Green Light in Farming
By T. Morgan, sustainability writer
Posted 11 months ago
Add a CommentShare this Page
Scott Rahn farms in southern Minnesota and has more than 30 years of experience in farming. From the time Rahn harvests his crop in the fall until he puts the seed in the ground the following year, what type of seed to plant is on his mind.
"The decision to purchase to seed, what varieties and what hybrids to plant, is a big decision," he says. "It's probably the input we spend the most time deciding on. You need a full slate of products, different maturities and different traits."
Rahn says seed is the biggest topic discussed in the farming community. Where he farms in Minnesota, farmers deal with a lot of unwanted pests, such as corn borer and corn earworm,that can cause major damage to their crops. Selecting seed with the right traits is the most effective defense mechanism.
"Our insect pressure is very high. We plant the maximum amount of traits that we can, according to the refuge requirements. We feel very comfortable with the results of the traits - they're very effective," says Rahn. "With genetics, I think we're going to see better results and better long-season insect control."
Once farmers have ordered seed and have things ready to go, the question becomes: "When can I get in the field?" Although some farmers are ready to begin planting shortly after they harvest, the waiting period may seem a little long because the decision on when to plant is a carefully formulated one. Farmers must take into consideration the weather, moisture in the ground, soil temperatures and many other factors.
"Soil temperature really determines when the corn seed will germinate in the first place," Eric Nelson, Monsanto agronomist, said. "We also have to look at things like what temperature the water being absorbed by the seed is. If the plant takes in some really cold water early on, as in the first 24 to 48 hours, you can really throw the hormones and enzymes off in the kernels. You get some really confused corn seeds and seedlings, and that can make it a real challenge for them to make it to the soil surface and grow appropriately."
Nelson says if the soil temperatures are not where they need to be and the weather forecast doesn't look promising, then he encourages farmers to leave the planter in the shed.
When Rahn gets the green light to plant, he's not easy to miss because he's driving a tractor with a 48-row planter. This planter isn't for show but instead improves efficiency on their farm. And in an area where the window to plant is shorter than those in the Southern Corn Belt, getting a lot of acres planted when the weather permits is very important.
"It's a 48-row, 22-inch planter. And if we have the right conditions, we can plant a lot of acres in a day," says Rahn. "This is really critical in the sometimes short windows we have (to plant) in the Northern Corn Belt in Minnesota."
Someone outside of farming may see sitting behind the wheel of a tractor for long consecutive hours as a boring, tedious job. Rahn, however, sees it as exciting and rewarding.
"First of all, it's exciting," he says. "The technology is coming fast, just like any other industry. The traits have really boosted our bottom line because of higher yields due to the plants' insect resistance."
More than just the technology in the seed, it's the other technology in agriculture that helps peak his interest year after year.
"We also use a tremendous amount of autotrac," explains Rahn. "We feel autotrac pays back in two to three years because of operator comfort, less overlap, longer hours. We tend to adopt new technologies pretty early."
