An early start to planting season doesn’t mean Cody White’s worries are out of the woods in DeWitt County, Ill. On Monday, 1.5" to 5" of rain as well as hail, straight-line winds and tornadoes hit his area. This year, White’s beans were planted earlier than ever before, April 14, which means he expects he’ll have to replant.
“We were off to almost a picture-perfect start here,” he says. “That has now been flipped on its head.”
However, the first-generation farmer is accustomed to changing directions. White’s NFL career is helping him make the game-time decision to navigate the highs and lows of the 2026 season.
From NFL to the Farm
After a standout collegiate career at Illinois State University, where he started as tight end and later moved to the offensive line, White signed with the Houston Texans in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. White’s third season was looking up when he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
“That shut my year down. I had to have it restructured, repaired, tried to come back. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t enough time,” he says. “I fought, fought, fought, and then finally there comes a day when football is done with you, and that’s just when my time was.”
The shift in 2016 forced him to pivot toward a new profession. Today, White farms with his father-in-law and sells seed for Wyffels Hybrids. He notes that the transition from the football field was more natural than some might expect.
“Football and farming — there’s a lot of similarities,” White says. “They both have an offseason, the planning, the game planning, executing that plan and knowing when to change it.”
Adjusting the Game Plan
Changing the game plan is exactly what White has had to do over the past three years. This growing season, expensive fertilizer and rising diesel prices are the primary problems he is trying to tackle.
While White secured his fertilizer for this year, he admits that diesel costs are at the top of his mind.
“I wish I would have booked our spring use back in December or January,” White says. “It was sub-$3 then. It’s one of those things that are out of your control, right? You just kind of control what you can control.”
To manage the squeeze, White says they are cutting back where possible. But he says there is only so much he can trim before it impacts his crops.
Concerns Over Market Concentration
White is keeping a close eye on the numerous dynamics in the fertilizer industry. He’s glad to see members of the president’s Cabinet meeting with industry leaders to discuss rising costs.
“I’m all for capitalism, but at some point, when there are three companies running everything, they’re able to dictate,” White explains. “We watch commodity prices go up, and now fertilizer prices are up. We’re just trading dollars constantly.”
In a game of pennies, or inches, White thinks most farmers will find a way to make the numbers work for the remainder of this year. However, he thinks 2027 could prove tough for many farmers.
“Football is a game of ups and downs,” White says. “You’re never too down; you’re never too up. That’s kind of the world we’re living in right now.”
Crop Progress Throughout the Midwest
According to the latest USDA reports, approximately one-quarter of the U.S. corn and soybean crops are now in the ground. Despite a pattern of spring storms moving across the Midwest, farmers are finding windows of opportunity to advance the 2024 planting season.
Northwest Iowa: Emergence Underway
In Northwest Iowa, Matt McCarthy is seeing significant progress. McCarthy has wrapped up corn planting and is roughly 75% finished with his soybeans. He expects to finish soybean planting by the end of the week. Progress on McCarthy’s farm is currently ahead of last year’s pace, largely because recent rains have missed his location.
“Yesterday [the crop] just was spiking through, and then with this little bit of rain really softened the top, and it’s coming up pretty nice,” McCarthy says. “It’s cold, probably 53 degrees right now, but you can row it. Those fields planted on the 14th and even some corn on the 17th are spiking through.”
Minnesota and Northeast Iowa: Rain and Cold Slow Momentum
Near Mankato, Minn., Chris Schenk reports that his soybean planting was completed last Saturday. He managed to seed more than 200 acres of corn before being sidelined by three-quarters of an inch of rain on Monday. While Schenk doesn’t expect to return to the field until early next week, he notes that roughly 60% of farmers in his area have already finished.
Farther south in Cresco, Iowa, Darrick Barnikle is still waiting for the right window. While fertilizer applications are nearly complete, planting has not yet begun on his farm. Cool temperatures and scattered showers have kept planters in the shed for most growers in the area, with Barnikle estimating only 5% of local corn and soybeans are planted. With a drier forecast ahead, activity is expected to ramp up midweek, though growers remain cautious of a forecasted dip to 32°F Friday night.
Southwest Iowa and Beyond: Navigating Variable Rains
In Percival, Iowa, Pat Sheldon reports that weekend rainfall was highly variable. Despite the scattered totals, planting progress remains strong in his area. Sheldon estimates that 75% of the corn and 20% of the soybeans are already in the ground, with planters expected to roll again later this week.
Meanwhile, for Chris Harrell, recent rains will likely keep fieldwork on pause for most of the week. Harrell currently has about two-thirds of his soybeans planted, but corn progress sits at roughly 20%. He hopes to return to the field by the weekend.
