Agronomy Articles
Corn Planting Conditions and Depth
By Allen Johansen, Agronomy Department Purchasing Manager
Planting corn under the right conditions is key to a strong, healthy crop. Ideal soil temperatures for corn germination range from 50°F to 86°F, with optimal emergence around 60°F. Planting into cold, wet soil can delay emergence and increase the risk of disease. Well-drained soils with good moisture retention provide the best environment for early root development.
Soil moisture also plays a vital role in planting. Overly dry conditions may lead to uneven germination, while saturated soils can limit oxygen availability, which can hinder root growth. A firm seedbed ensures good seed-to-soil contact, promoting uniform emergence.
Another consideration to corn planting is having a proper planting depth which is crucial. Most agronomists recommend planting corn between 1.5 to 2.5 inches deep with 2 inches being the best balance for most conditions. Shallow planting (less than 1.5 inches) can expose seeds to temperature fluctuations and inconsistent moisture, while planting deeper than 2.5 inches may delay emergence. Planting depth can be adjusted slightly depending on soil type and moisture conditions.
Ultimately, paying attention to temperature, moisture, and planting depth helps ensure uniform emergence and sets the stage for a successful corn harvest. Timely planting under optimal conditions maximizes yield potential. If you have any questions, please reach out to our team of agronomists who would be happy to help!
4/25/2025
Growing Season
By Cody Plamp, Agronomy Department Sales & Marketing Manager
With spring right around the corner having an in-depth plan with your crop inputs will be critical this year. The one thing that I believe is more important this year than ever is soil sampling. With high fertilizer prices soil sampling will be critical to help you maximize the efficiency of tons purchased on the correct acres they need to be applied to.
Another key piece fertilizer-related this year due to the dry conditions is nitrogen stabilizers. CFC offers a couple different nitrogen stabilizers and with high fertilizer prices and lower commodities it is more important than ever to protect your investment when spreading dry urea this spring. Ask your agronomist about the different nitrogen stabilizers we offer and don’t forget to talk about our variable rate fertilizer program.
Our CMT program will also be a valuable way for you to maximize your fertilizer tons by placing the fertilizer in the correct parts of the field and building you soil per 2.5-acre grids or 5-acre grids to give you the maximum ROI possible on every acre. We seem to be in a dry weather pattern, so I firmly believe split-applying nitrogen is a key component to having a successful crop this year.
I’ve talked a lot about fertilizer tools for being successful, but we need to get fields clean and stay clean this year. With the dry weather weeds are going to be harder to kill more than ever so we must act fast and have a good multi-chemistry residual program put in place to make sure the crop (not the weeds) is getting all the moisture that is available. Talk to your local agronomist about the many different chemical plans we offer along with the competitive financing programs we offer.
Our farmers’ success is what strives to wake us up and do what we do every day. Communication with your agronomist is the most important tool you can have this spring. Spring is always a crazy time of year but with communication anything can be resolved. We look forward to serving our patrons in the coming spring weeks and throughout the growing season. We hope everybody has a successful, but more importantly safe, planting and 2025 growing season. Get a hold of your local agronomist with any questions or concerns.
4/11/2025
Agronomy Interns and Build Dakota
By Andy Stapleton, Precision Agronomy Manager
School is out and our Mitchell Tech and Lake Area Tech agronomy interns are reporting in. CFC is currently sponsoring 6 students through the Build Dakota scholarship and 2 students through our own scholarship program. We are also sponsoring a couple students that will be graduating from high school this spring.
The Build Dakota scholarship program is available to students attending any of the four South Dakota technical colleges and majoring in either Agronomy or Precision Agronomy. The program covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, equipment, technology, and tools. It does not pay for any housing or living expenses. After graduation, there is a 3-year commitment to work for the industry partner that sponsors the student.
The main duty the interns are tasked with is scouting crops and taking tissue samples for acres enrolled in our CMT program. They will be focusing on stand counts, seed depth, poor emergence, nutrient deficiency, and weed pressure.
A couple of the interns will also be piloting drones for aerial application of herbicide on pastures and fungicide on corn/soybeans.
If you know of any future Agronomy or Precision Agronomy students that would like a sponsorship, do not hesitate to reach out to Central Farmers Coop.
4/4/2025
Agronomy Staff
 Jeff Schmiesing
Agronomy Dept. Manager
Cell: 605-940-7665
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 Allen Johansen
Agronomy Dept.
Purchasing Manager
Cell: 605-661-4882
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