Brandenburg Farms - The Field Report
Planting Finally Done
Trent Brandenburg finished his own soybean planting on Friday, June 29, 2009. Some areas have "been wet so long I don't think they will ever dry out" so they were not planted. He estimates his unplanted areas at less than 5%, "just enough to look ugly." Trent is now helping his neighbors finish planting. Even at this late date, reports abound of large unplanted areas, hundreds of acres, in southern Piatt County.
Trent is now completing side-dressing and spraying, although windy conditions have interrupted the spraying activities for a few days. This planting season has been awfully prolonged and stressful for central Illinois farmers. They are now looking forward to a few weeks rest from their rush, to make maximum use of the few "good days" for planting, in between the seemingly endless rains. Now the roadsides need mowing...
.............................................. It’s Not An Ideal Situation
That’s how Trent Brandenburg politely summarized the worst spring planting season in recent memory. Two areas several square miles in size, one just west of Hammond, IL, and the other just east of Cerro Gordo, IL, received repeated heavy rainfalls for week after week, only becoming workeable in very late May.
Trent estimates that he has completed 75% of his corn planting; the remaining corn acreage is “very wet”. Trent scoffs at “90% complete” crop progress reports: “Not around here.” Many of the fields already planted “were really wetter than I like to plant,” Trent explained, noting that he had waited to begin planting. Growers who planted corn early lost entire fields to the constant wetness, requiring expensive replanting.
Some low spots are still too wet to be planted in this part of Illinois. Trent and most other growers are simply planting around the wet spots. They may return to plant the spots if they dry out soon and are accessible from the edge of the field; otherwise they will not be planted.
Trent estimates that he “3 or 4 days of dry weather” away from completing his corn planting. He is considering a switch from 115-day (maturity) corn to 105-day because of the relatively late date for corn planting. “I’m not worried about soybeans” Trent stated. He has confidence soybean planting can be done. “My worry is an early frost” he continued, explaining that the late planting needs a late harvest to maintain desired yields, whereas an early frost would stop crop development short of the expected yield potential.
.............................................. April Fuel Bill Small, Except For Lawn Mowing
Trent
Brandenburg reports that his fuel bill for April is light, except
gasoline for his lawn mowing. He has not begun planting yet,
due to the wet weather. With the current Illinois' statewide
average of less than 5% of the corn crop planted, Trent is not
alone in waiting to plant. Last year, Trent began corn planting
April 24, got rained out, and didn't finish until the second
week in May.
A few sunny and windy days will dry fields enough to begin planting.
Trent is not concerned about the late start at this point, because
the soil temperature is now much warmer, aiding quick germination
and a giving a good start to crop growth.
Trent said, "I know more people who haven't planted than
have." Most growers who have planted at all have "just
planted an eighty [80-acre field] or so," he observed.
The corn and soybean markets continue to be a concern.
Trent explains that with a later start to planting corn, the
corn prices would be expected to go up, and the bean prices to
go down. Recently, the opposite has occurred. Uncertainty over
the future of the motor fuel market for ethanol may be affecting
corn prices in the near term.
..............................................
Waiting for Warmth
Barring any rain or snow, Trent Brandenburg plans to begin applying
pre-planting chemicals to fields some time next week. At this
point in time in east-central Illinois, soil temperatures are
hovering in the low 40’s which is well below the 50º F
temperatures needed for planting to begin.
Concerned with compaction issues which could result from getting
into the fields too early, Trent’s best guess for planting
action is “at least a week out because it’s way too
cold and way too wet now.”
On the upside, winter production seed has come in but waits
forlornly in the shed to be planted. The Brandenburgs’ new
John Deere 9530 tractor also sits impatiently in its new home,
raring to get into the fields as soon as conditions allow.
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