Growers are Ready for Fieldwork – Soil is Not
It’s Pretty Spongy
Trent Brandenburg wants to begin his spring fieldwork, but reports the soil is “pretty spongy”. He is hauling grain and is hampered by the wet soil in getting his trucks into his bins to load. This past week’s bright, sunny days in Central Illinois bring on the urge to plant. “Last year was a good year for soybeans,” Trent observed, commenting on Piatt County, Illinois, having the largest per-acre soybean yield in the United States.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Trent continued, as he plans to stick with his 50-50 corn-soybean acreage split. “Corn prices are good, too,” Trent continued. Trent’s fertility inputs are stable, but costs are up. He expects to use more fungicide to keep his yields up, even though crop protection chemicals are more expensive. “You have to keep the yield up, in order to have bushels to sell,” Trent concluded, hoping continuing high market prices will minimize his profit squeeze.
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Need More Cold Weather, Warmer Markets
Trent Brandenburg wants more cold weather to freeze the soil deeper and kill more overwintering insects. "We are having too many 40-degree days," he observed. Trent noted, "Not much grain is moving," due to lower market pricing. "Eventually, the owner [...]