In Jan of 2018 I planted mixed forage( floor sweeping?oats, barley, wheat  It is what the horsey set thinks they like the best and pay the most for. My cows don't care, so if I have extra I want the stuff that is most high priced.) late in Jan. No rain on it until late March. I had the crop insurance guy look at it the day it started raining. It finally came up, wild turkey's and ground squirrels had dug and ate at lot in spots. But way more crop than a crop insurance payment.

If the seed is dry it doesn't try to germinate it will last months. The 10 inch average rainfall area here summer fallow. Then in fall at what is the start of the growing season here plant into dry ground. Seed is good until we get rain in most cases. If they only get a 1/4 to 1/2 inch it can try to grow and die. Or temputure is just right can rot in the ground but very rare thing. Most of those big time gambling farmers today are watching the CRP money they have in the stock market. Took about a year for them to find out that $50 was the top price the government would pay in 1985. Then they had to settle for 30 some, but not much of that has ever been planted since 85.

From what I know of corn it should be good until soil temp comes up. But everything from grapes to feed crops or vegetable gardens I have planted produces better with a good start. The grapevine really surprised me  that 2 or 3 years down the road you could tell the ones stressed in the first year.

Yes, and 99% of these acres had at least a half inch of snow on the fields  .