Corn needs moisture to grow tall and thrive, but too much — way too much — during the short window Colorado farmers have to plant is threatening to wreak havoc on this year’s crop.
In northeast Colorado, many acres of field corn were not yet fully planted this week, according to farmers, despite the May 25 deadline to qualify for full coverage under federally sponsored crop insurance.
The precipitation that has soaked much of Colorado over the last month is to blame. Weld, Morgan and Logan counties have received more than 11 inches of rain in the past 60 days, two to three times above normal, according to data from the . The heavy farm equipment used to seed corn does not work in wet, muddy fields. Northeast Colorado farmers typically grow corn sold for use as livestock feed or to be made into ethanol.
“I would be willing to guess that — and this is just a guess — that somewhere in that 70 to 80 percent range of the corn crop is in the ground,” said Mark Sponsler, CEO of .
For farmers, the slow start has been a growing source of frustration.
“I’ve got about two days left, and I can’t seem to get out there,” said Charlie Bartlett, who farms corn, alfalfa, wheat and pinto beans near Merino, southwest of Sterling, and serves on the corn growers board. “I’ve had two days left for about three weeks.”
The delay has forced some farmers to make a choice: push forward and plant shorter-season varieties, which typically have lower yields, and lose a percentage of their crop insurance every day they go past the May 25 deadline; or forgo corn altogether and plant something else. Both have financial implications.
A fourth-generation farmer with 3,000 acres near La Salle, Dave Eckhardt and his family have decided to plant short-season seeds.
Eckhardt, the Colorado Corn Growers Association president, said he hoped to end his work Thursday with about 800 acres left to plant out of a total of 1,800.
He started April 18; in a typical year, planting is done by May 20.
“Obviously, (not finishing this year’s planting) would have an impact from a financial standpoint — that’s income that you’re gambling on having it come in,” Eckhardt said.
Brad Wind and his family will likely plant cover crop on their open acres northeast of Snyder, near Brush, after only getting about 150 of 600 acres of corn planted. Among the options they’re considering are sorghum or a sorghum hybrid that can later be used for cattle grazing, he said.
“I often find myself kicking myself for not getting things done in a timely matter, but I can’t think of much else we could have done,” Wind said. “We just had these little windows, a half day here, a half day there, and you go hard and try to get it in and it starts raining again.”
Sponsler said the verdict is out on whether the slow start will be a factor come harvest time.
“We’re a little bit challenged here, but there’s a lot of chapters in this book yet to write,” Sponsler said. “The first 30 days is really only that, the first 30 days.”
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/emilierusch
