Getting Ready For The New Crop Year

Published On: February 29, 2016

February 2016 Field Report

Getting Ready For The New Crop Year

Trent Brandenburg was starting to think about planting during the recent warm days, but the big blizzard on Wednesday, February 24, helped him decide to keep the planters and tractors in the shed a while longer. Trent has completed delivery of last year’s grain from his on-farm storage. He is now getting his seed delivered and completing the winter maintenance on his machinery. This is the time of year when the input expenses all come at once: seed, fertilizer, crop protection chemicals, and diesel fuel. Hopefully, and farmers have to be hopeful, the yield will cover the crop expenses and land costs.

Trent anticipates that the grain markets will remain low this year and next, requiring careful management decisions due to the uncertainty of weather effects on crop yields. This makes the crop insurance decision, with a March deadline, difficult. Trent believes in buying the best he can get, the 85% coverage, because the difference between that and 80% is not worth taking on the extra financial risk for the amount of premium you save, Trent said.

More from The Field Report

August: Crop Tours and Farm Shows

September 1, 2023|

August in the farming community is the month for crop tours and farm shows. Trent Brandenburg believes his corn and soybean yields will exceed the numbers posted for recent crop tours. Various ag firms host crop tours during August in [...]

The Rain Came Just In Time For The Corn

July 26, 2023|

Trent Brandenburg's corn crop was badly hurting from the drought in May and June. The tassels were emerging on the shortest corn stalks in recent memory. The rain came with the huge derecho on July 8, 2023, and more reasonable [...]

“We need rain,” Trent Says

June 27, 2023|

Near-record dryness in central Illinois is about to take a toll on the corn crop. April 2023 and May 2023 together were among the driest months since records have been kept. Quincy had 3.01 inches from April 1 to May [...]