Don't pay any attention to Jed Clampett

Jed Clampett, the hard-scrabble farmer-turned-millionaire on the Beverly Hillbillies, was once told to give someone a tip. Honestly, I can’t remember if it was for a taxi driver or a waitress, and this is one of those rare cases when I can’t find a reference to the quote on the vast expanse known as the internet.

Anyway, Jed rolled the suggestion around in his mind, then said rather brightly, “Plant your corn early!”

It sounded like a solid tip to anyone familiar with farming, but it’s not the kind of recommendation any of the South’s corn specialists are offering to growers this year. Their suggestion is more along these lines: find out when the recommended planting window opens for your area, and don’t start planting a day before then.

While making calls for our wheat report last week, 3 Extension specialists observed that extra corn seed – even in lesser performing hybrids – were practically nonexistent. If any replanting was necessary, it was doubtful that decent seed would be available from any source at practically any price.

We’ve already had an example of this in February, albeit with sweet corn. Frigid weather in the first half of the month ruined sweet corn plantings as far south as Palm Beach County, Florida, forcing vegetable producers to replant their initial acreage.

“Some corn planting already has started in Washington County and areas south of that," Mississippi Extension corn specialist Erick Larson told me last week. "I wouldn’t be so concerned if soil temperatures were adequate for germination. But they haven’t been. Temperatures have to be above 50 degrees, and I’m afraid there aren’t a lot of places to that point yet.”

Mississippi, like most states, divides corn planting dates into geographic areas spaces from south to north. The planting window for the south Delta doesn’t open until March 5, Larson noted.

Larson issued an advisory on what he terms “ultra early” corn planting. We’ve posted it on our home page. If you missed it in our weekend issue of AgUpdates, click here to download Larson’s recommendations.