3 Things Your Dig Checks Are Really Telling You

I spent a couple of hours in a corn field this week, mainly to check stands and population on V3 corn. Rather than laying a tape measure at 17 feet 5 inches and manually counting, we used Precision Planting's SmartScout app, which uses our phone camera to check spacing, uniformity of emergence, and singulation. This is a great tool to have in our toolbox as a dealer, and it can provide valuable performance information to our customers. Having SmartScout could make it really easy to walk a couple of rows using the phone camera and be on our way to the next field.

Still, the story we’re after- especially this early in the growing season- lies beneath the soil surface (which can't be seen from a phone camera yet). You always hear the shop joke that any tool can be turned into a hammer- the same can be said in the field about a shovel. So I busted out my pocketknife and began digging up some plants. Here are three things your dig checks are really telling you:

Emergence Uniformity Tells the Real Story

A dig isn't just about whether a seed germinated- it's about whether every plant has an equal opportunity to yield. We all know the importance of having every seed germinate within 48 hours of each other and the yield impact late emergers have due to competition. So we’re looking for clues that can tell us why we may or may not have achieved that. 

While following planters in the field this spring, one thing became pretty evident around the 20th of April- soil moisture was dwindling, and the weatherman didn't forecast any rain for over seven days. This led to field conditions being inconsistent under the soil surface, with adequate moisture showing anywhere from 3/4 of an inch to 2+ inches below the surface within the same field.  

Seeds need a few things to germinate- contact with the soil, heat, and moisture. If the planter was perfect and we were planting at a consistent depth of 2 inches, we likely weren't placing every seed into proper moisture for germination in certain areas of the field this spring. This has been shown in some digs where there is a gap in germination, and the seed is still sitting in the furrow because it didn't have the moisture to germinate.

Plant Development Reveals Planting Conditions

One of the most frequent agronomic questions we received this year is, "Where should I set my down force?" With the field conditions being so dry during planting, the common thought was to reduce our down force on our row unit, when reality tells us the fundamentals of creating a furrow still apply.

We saw a lot of conventionally tilled ground this season, and the dry soil created a very loose seedbed to plant into. If you think about trying to firm that dry soil under your feet (your boots being your gauge wheels), it would take more of your weight to firm it into a good seedbed. Remember, the job of the downforce system is to transfer weight to create a proper seedbed where we aren't crumbling or slicking the sidewalls. This year specifically, if your row unit was too light to make a good furrow, you were likely crumbling dry soil around your seed, inhibiting proper emergence.

We want to be sure our roots are uninhibited and growing freely in any direction under the soil so the plant can scavenge nutrients throughout the profile. In dry conditions like we have been experiencing, rootless corn syndrome can be a common issue where the nodal roots can be stubby or missing from shallow planting or a lack of moisture.

Dig Checks Help Fine-Tune the Planter

A good dig helps turn assumptions into actionable adjustments. If you get out and dig while you're planting, you can see how you're managing your residue, creating a furrow, spacing your seed, and closing your furrow. All of these adjustments can be made from the cab with the turn of a knob on your CleanSweep controller, the press of a few buttons in your 20/20, or adjusting a T-handle on your planter. Your 20/20 monitor gives a lot of information, but the planter setup should always be verified in the soil.

Yield potential is built one seed at a time, and a shovel (or pocketknife) is still one of the most valuable tools in the field.