A good yield in corn starts with even emergence. For the farmer to acquire even emergence there are a lot of factors involved.
- Planter adjustments
- Seed
- Soil conditions
When the farmer dumps high cold germ, high-quality seed into his planter, he is off on a good start. Warm germ in all reality means very little to the farmer; all seed companies print warm germ on the bag. Warm germ is measured by the seed that germinates in an environment comparable to a farmer’s field that has soil temps of around 65°. Cold germ is measured by the seed that germinates in an environment comparable to a farmer’s field that has soil temps of around 50°. Successful farmers test cold germ on their seed corn lots. Cold germ is an important key to even emergence and for the farmer to get abundant yields.
Adjusting the planter correctly is also very important. This should be addressed before anything else. It takes 3-5 years for a farmer to get used to adjusting a new planter properly.
The seed needs 5-7 hours of germination time in 50° or above soil temps, to properly germinate. And always remember; planting into wet soils can be very hard on seedling emergence and planting right before a hard rain is a no-no ̶ especially in organic.
Learn more about Cold Germ Matters.