MT. VERNON - Balmy temperatures are tempting Jefferson County farmers to plant early this spring.
At least one farmer took the plunge as early as March 8, said John Kabat, a farmer, Mt. Vernon Township High School FFA sponsor and Rend Lake College Board of Education member.
"I don't think anybody has ever planted that early before in this region," he said.
Kabat, his father and his brother, all farmers, are spreading herbicide this week before planting corn, several weeks earlier than usual and months earlier than last year due to heavy rain in 2011.
"Usually, the last frost is April 15," he said. "I don't even pay attention to that counter now, and the 10-day forecast is showing that through April 15, there won't be a frost."
He said he usually plants his corn the last week in April. The guideline for safe planting is that the ground temperature should be at least 55 degrees about four inches deep, Kabat said, but it's consistently been 65 to 70 degrees.
While the temperature has been safely warm for farmers to plant, some are holding back until April 15 because of the conditions of their crop insurance, he said.
"If you plant before April 15, the crop insurance won't pay for your seed if you need to replant," Kabat said, adding that seed corn is about $200 a bag. "The farmers who don't want to lose money are waiting for April 15."
He said he knows some of the more than 800 farmers in Jefferson County have taken that chance in order to have their crops harvested in June or July before the summer heat kicks in.
"Heat is always worse than water," he said. "With the heat of July and August getting up to 100 degree temperatures, getting out in the fields will beat the heat longer."
In addition to allowing farmers to have their corn completed growing before August, Kabat said the early planting and harvesting could help those who wish to plant a second crop like soybeans.
"Farming is the biggest gamble you take in life," he said. "You take out a $80,000 to $100,000 loan, and then you put seed in the ground, and you've got to pay that back." - http://goo.gl/waA3Q
