According to the extension corn specialists, it will soon be time to count the corn plants and estimate the population you have achieved. This is also the time to troubleshoot problems you find when evaluating your stand.

Corn should begin emerging after about 100 to 125 Growing Degree Days have accumulated following planting — usually one to three weeks. Here is a list of a few common things to look for if you encounter an emergence problem in corn this spring.

First, check for missing seeds. This might be because of a planter malfunction or bird or rodent damage. The latter often will leave some evidence such as digging or seed or plant parts on the ground.

You might find the shoot unfurled underground. This could be because of premature exposure to light in cloddy soil, planting too deep, compaction or soil crusting, extended exposure to acetanilide herbicides under cool wet conditions or because of extended cool, wet conditions.

Another problem that could contribute to poor stands is seed with poorly developed roots or shoots. The shoot tip may be brown or yellow. This could be caused by seed rots or seed with low vigor.

The next problem to look for is seed that is swelled but not sprouted. This is often caused by poor seed-to-soil contact or shallow planting; the seed swelled and then dried out. Check the seed furrow closure in not-till. This could also be caused by seed that is not viable.

You might find skips associated with discolored and malformed seedlings. This might be herbicide damage. Note depth of planting and herbicides applied compared with injury symptoms such as twisted roots, club roots or purple plants.

Look for seeds that are hollowed out. This is likely to be caused by seed corn maggot or wireworm. In this case, look for evidence of the pest to confirm.

Note any patterns associated with a particular row, spray width, hybrid, field or residue that could provide some additional clues to the cause. Often, two or more stress factors interact to reduce emergence where the crop would have emerged well otherwise.

Recently, there has been a lot of press coverage concerning rising food prices.One recent Associated Press story indicated overall food prices are around 6 percent higher than a year ago.Much of the blame seems to be focused on corn being used for ethanol production instead of animal feed. While this is a legitimate concern, the increased cost of corn might add a few cents to the cost of a box of cereal or a pack of hot dogs cost, but that is very minimal when all items are considered.For the most part, the increases in food prices are directly related to high energy costs. Beef, hog and dairy producers are receiving less now for their product than they did a year ago. Meanwhile, prices in the stores continue to escalate.Eggs recently increased in price dramatically. This is because there are very few egg producers nationwide, and a handful of these large operations can just decide to charge more, and it happens. These egg producers are able to pass along the increased feed costs to consumers because they control most of the product.However, beef, hog and dairy producers are many in number and are only able to sell their product at whatever the current wholesale market price is — quite a disadvantage.This is not to say high grain prices do not factor in. They do, but not to the degree some reported.Another myth is grain farmers are reaping record profits, considering how high grain prices are.Yes, grain prices are high, but input costs are higher than ever before also. Fuel, fertilizer, seed and herbicides have increased to the point that when some producers factor in all items on marginal ground, there will be huge losses.The fact is that in the current economic situation, corn producers will have netted more income per acre when corn was $2.40 per bushel than today when it is around $5.65 per bushel.A topic such as this deserves a look in a future news release. But one thing is for sure: Most producers are not going to the bank to make a deposit but rather to obtain an operating loan this spring.Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.