Spring Agronomy Update: Corn Planting Begins as Maryland Farmers Race to Catch Up
There is a distinctive smell in the air across Maryland farm country this week, and Certified Crop Advisor Ben Hushon with The Mill was right in the middle of it during his latest Market Day Report appearance from Whiteford, Maryland. The "smell of money," as the show's host put it, is manure spreading in full swing, one of several tasks running simultaneously as farmers try to compress a delayed spring season into a narrow window of favorable weather.
Eight Workable Field Days Since March
To understand the urgency of this moment, it helps to know how little time growers have actually had to work this spring. Ben noted that despite the calendar pushing well into April, only about eight workable field days have occurred in this community since the season began in earnest.
March was largely a loss. Wet conditions, frozen ground, and Maryland's March 1st manure application restriction all contributed to a backlog that has been building for months. The window that has opened over the past two weeks is the most sustained stretch of field-fit conditions the region has seen, and growers are moving aggressively to take advantage of it.
Manure Spreading Is Wrapping Up
The smell Ben was reporting from told the story clearly. Chicken manure is still actively being spread across the community, though Ben noted that most dairy manure has been hauled at this point. Piles of chicken manure remain scattered in fields, waiting their turn as equipment and timing allow.
With no rain expected until Sunday or Monday, the current dry stretch gives growers several more days to push through the remaining manure applications before the next weather interruption. Every acre that gets manure on it this week is one less acre competing for attention when corn planting shifts into higher gear.
Wheat Is Getting Its Second Nitrogen Application
Wheat management is running in parallel with everything else. Ben confirmed that the second nitrogen application is now actively underway across the community, with growers typically splitting their wheat nitrogen into two applications through the season.
The first application went on weeks ago during one of the early dry spells, visible at the time through the tip burn on leaf tissue. The second application, timed to the crop's current growth stage, is the more yield-critical of the two. Getting it on at the right timing, around growth stage five to six when the crop is jointing and the canopy is developing, directly influences tiller survival, head size, and ultimately grain fill.
With soil conditions currently favorable and dry weather holding, the timing for the second application is about as good as it gets.
Corn Planting Has Started
The headline from this week's update is that corn planting has officially begun in the area. Ben shared that a neighbor was out planting corn into a standing cover crop yesterday, and described the conditions as the most perfect he could remember. The soil was crumbling in the furrow, in-row packing was ideal, and the seed-to-soil contact that drives uniform emergence was exactly what agronomists want to see at planting.
That description matters because early season soil conditions have a lasting influence on stand establishment. A corn crop planted into ideal conditions, with good seed placement, consistent depth, and adequate moisture, gets off to a start that a crop planted into marginal conditions simply cannot replicate later.
Soil temperatures are now confirming what the calendar is demanding. After last week's cold snap that had Ben bundled in a coat on the morning of his segment, temperatures started this Monday at 50 degrees and are forecast to climb into the upper 70s through the week. At those levels, soils across the region are warming into the range where corn germination becomes reliable and consistent.
Farmers Are Making Nightly Decisions
The volume of competing tasks this spring is extraordinary. Ben described the reality farmers are facing each evening as they decide which of the many outstanding jobs to tackle the next day. Manure still to spread, wheat still to top dress, cover crops to terminate, and corn ground to prepare are all demanding attention at the same moment.
For agronomists and crop consultants, this is the most active stretch of the year, with calls and questions coming in constantly as growers try to sequence the work correctly without letting any critical timing window close.
The dry stretch through the weekend is the most valuable resource on the farm right now. Every day that conditions hold is another opportunity to close the gap on a spring that started more than a month behind where growers wanted it to be.
Connect With The Mill's Agronomy Team
The Mill's Agronomy Team is actively supporting growers across Maryland and southern Pennsylvania through planting preparation, wheat management, cover crop termination timing, and fertility programs. With corn planting now underway and the spring calendar moving fast, The Mill's Certified Crop Advisors are available to help growers make the right calls at the right time.
Connect with The Mill's Agronomy Team to get your spring program on track before the next weather window closes.
