Corn planting

Grain

View general guidelines for corn planting for grain, including:

• The most favorable soil temperature.
• Optimal planting dates and planting rate.
• How to ensure good seed-to-soil contact.
• When to avoid tillage.

Silage

Follow these guidelines for optimizing corn silage production, including:

• When to plant.

• How many plants should be in your final stand.

• Optimal row width.

• How to avoid soil compaction.

• Crop rotation recommendations.

When to plant corn

Timely planting in good soil conditions is essential for successful corn production. 

View guidelines about when to plant corn in Minnesota, which includes:

• The optimum planting dates to maximize corn yield.
• How to manage delayed planting.
• Risks of early planting.

Optimal plant population

To maximize profit, research shows Minnesota growers need a final stand of 32,000 to 34,000 plants per acre. There are a number of factors that affect the final plant population and profit, including:

• Seed costs and corn price.

• Planting date.

• Row spacing.

• Hybrid relative maturity.

• Yield potential.

• Light intersection.

Row width considerations

Producing corn in narrow rows can increase grain yield as much as 7 to 9 percent in Minnesota. However, narrow rows don’t always pay off. Researchers have evaluated the factors that affect success with narrow-row corn planting, including:

• Minnesota region.

• Plant population.

• Machinery costs.

• Whether the crop will be used for grain or silage.

Delayed planting

When wet soil conditions delay planting, growers become faced with a number of decisions. Read detailed considerations for late-planted corn in Minnesota, including:

• Yield losses.

• Planting dates.

• Which corn hybrid maturities to use.

• Seeding rate adjustments.

• Planting depth changes.

Replanting corn

Deciding whether to replant after crop injury is one of the most stressful and important decisions a farmer has to make. Our guide to evaluating crop damage and replant options includes:

• Seven factors for deciding whether to replant.

• How to evaluate the existing plant stand and the likelihood plants will regrow.

• The yield potential of late-planted corn.

• How to determine if replanting will pay, including a worksheet for making the decision.

• Alternatives to replanting, including options for other crops and silage.