By Alexandra Knight, Ph.D., Pioneer field agronomist As the sun is shining and the air becomes warmer across Ohio, growers continue to question if it’s time to get the planter in the field. The next question becomes, “Does it make more sense to plant corn or soybeans early?” While historically corn has been planted before soybeans, many growers have experienced that their earliest planted soybean acres also tend to be their highest yielding fields. Modern-day soybean varieties have a greater yield response to planting date than varieties grown several decades ago. Looking at corn, there is long-term data suggesting that mid-April to mid-May is ideal for planting. However, the recent past has shown that later planted corn can continue to yield well as our season seems to be shifting later. Regardless, planting either crop early comes with both risk and reward.