News

Planting delays holding up in-field activities

A mid-Michigan farmer expects corn yields in the state to be reduced by at least 25 percent.

“Everything’s been delayed and slow and the crops are showing that.  Some of them look ok, but they’re small.”   

P.J. Feldpausch grows corn, soybeans, and wheat as well as custom farms with his family in Fowler. 

“If we get an early frost, it’s going to be a detrimental problem for everything trying to reach maturity at that time.”       

He tells Brownfield every farmer also has at least one field that went unplanted which could be 10-20 percent of the state’s production.

“Everything’s just been delayed a month or more.  We’ve never put on nitrogen in mid-July, like sidedress applications of nitrogen, and we just finished up last week.”

Feldpausch is a recent participant of the Michigan Corn Growers Association’s MI Cent Program which he says has been a fantastic opportunity to learn from other young farmers and how they’re handling this difficult growing season.