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.
More from The Field Report
Replanting Done, Corn and Beans Look Good
Trent Brandenburg has replanted his few ponded field "wet spots" as many as three times. The replanted areas are "thin," Trent observed, because "It has been too wet. But at least [replanting] will keep the weeds down." Trent is now [...]
First Round Of Planting Done, Ponds Need Replanting
Trent Brandenburg is done with his "first round" of planting, as he puts it. The corn and soybeans he planted in April are up and growing in excellent condition. Trent's later-planted crops are germinating but not as far along as [...]
Not Much Field Work This Week
Trent Brandenburg does not plan on much fieldwork for this week, starting April 29, 2024. The huge squall line that extended from Texas to Green Bay, Wisconsin, over this past weekend, was far enough west to spare central Illinois from [...]