“You can, with a properly equipped planter, go faster without giving up yield.”
Waiting for the ideal conditions to plant corn can be a high-stakes waiting game! We covered the optimal date for planting corn in another study. By and large, it’s important to make sure the soil conditions are ideal before you plant.
When waiting for ideal soil conditions, we want to be able to get as many acres planted when the time is right. Traditional planting speeds are typically around 5 MPH. When considering how to plant faster, you can either purchase larger equipment, purchase more equipment (and manpower to operate it), or you can make your equipment faster.
We took to the PTI Farm to test how planting speeds would impact yield. The results? We found that there is very little drawback to faster planting speeds when you have the optimal equipment.
Planting windows can often be brief due to frequent rains throughout the spring. High-speed planting not only allows you to patiently wait for fields to get fit, but you can have confidence that you are able to complete planting quickly to hit your optimal planting window.
High Speed Planting Corn Study Results
In-Depth Study Videos
InsidePTI S2•E06
High Speed Planting ‣ Corn
InsidePTI S1•E35
High Speed Planting ‣ Corn
Study Details
Study data collected 2018-2022 at the PTI Farm in Pontiac, IL.
| Planting Date | Varied By Year | Rotation | CAB |
| Row Width | 30" | Population | 34K-36K |
| Corn Prices | 2022 - $6.00 2021 - $5.00 2020 - $3.75 2019 - $3.67 2018 - $3.50 | Hybrid | 2022 - DKC 65-95 2021 - DKC 59-82 2020 - DKC 64-34 2019 - DKC 54-38 2018 - Pioneer 0707AMXT |
