Planting
Soil moisture, seed chilling risks, and emergence forecasts can help you decide whether to run hard or park the planter.
Spotty spring rains have slowed planting in southwest Iowa, leaving farmers slightly behind. Despite delays, strong planning, good moisture, and a favorable forecast has Pat Sheldon optimistic for the 2026 crop season.
Ken Ferrie uses a green-yellow-red “signal light” system to help farmers evaluate their planting decisions in the week ahead.
Matt McCarthy just started planting this week. He kicks off our Plant Your Independence Tour. Our team will follow 6 Midwestern growers through the planting season and make a stop at a different farm each week.
Pro Farmer economist Lane Akre says at the current corn to soybean price ratio and with market conditions, soybeans need to buy some additional acres.
According to USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report, 74% of the Illinois corn crop is planted, which is three points behind average, but a 20-point jump in just a week. Illinois farmer Brent Johnson says his May planted corn has been his best yielding corn the past few years.
Be proactive in evaluating crop emergence and uniformity. That information will help you make timely, informed decisions that are best for your farm and your financial needs this season.
2025 has been a record setting planting season for Mike Madsen and many farmers in Southern Minnesota.
Make adjustments as you plant because when those final steps are done poorly, corn germinates unevenly and there’s no way to go back and undo the damage.
The forecast for May is pointing to a rapid warm up with rains across the drought-stricken Plains, but there’s a drier forecast for the heart of the Corn Belt. One meteorologist is concerned about the amount of dryness entering the picture.
Shell Rock, Iowa, farmer Jeff Reints started planting corn on April 8 — the earliest ever on his farm. He got 50% of his corn and soybeans in the ground before 3 inches of rain parked the planters.
A handful of rain-free days were a perfect recipe for spring planting — and farmers took full advantage of the opportunity. This week’s USDA crop progress report puts corn and soybean acres just ahead of last year’s pace.
High winds have posed plenty of problems for farmers trying to spray, and even plant, this spring. NOAA says it’s one of the windiest starts to the season on record, but the bigger question is how long will it last?
Could 2025 set a new record for planting pace in Iowa? Ogden, Iowa farmers Ward and Bryant Hunter say they’ll finish planting corn on Thursday – marking the earliest finish ever on their farm.
One solution to low prices is producing more bushels. Take a minute to think through some of the best management practices outlined here that will help you accomplish that.
Don’t let the calendar, coffee shop talk or what your neighbors are doing dictate when you head to the field. Farm Journal field agronomists offer these four tips to help you get your best start ever with #planting2025.
For high-yielding corn and soybean crops, there are some baseline fertility requirements you have to fund. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fine-tune practices and products and save some money. Here are four suggestions from high-yield champs David Hula and Randy Dowdy.
USDA’s corn and soybean ratings are down again this week amidst extreme weather events across the country.
According to USDA, the amount of corn and wheat in good condition has declined while the plants in fair to poor condition has increased.
As multiple weeks of significant rainfall pushes planting progress far behind last year’s pace, Scott Irwin, professor at the University of Illinois, says these delays may not affect corn yields as much as you think.
According to USDA’s latest crop progress report, 91% of corn acres and 78% of soybean acres have been planted. This is the first week the report notes corn condition with 53% good and 30% fair.
More rains across the Corn Belt this week created deeper planting delays, and it’s causing farmers to grow even more frustrated as they wait on an open window to plant.
A massive solar flare could disrupt satellite systems, including GPS, over the next several days. NOAA says it is the biggest threat since 2005 as experts tell farmers to keep an eye on equipment.
Even in busy times, you must maintain leadership as your top priority.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA’s topsoil moisture map shows it’s still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.
What’s the key to growing big yields? According to the reigning national corn yield contest champ, David Hula, you can’t have 300-bushel-per-acre yields if you don’t start with 300-bushel-per-acre stands.
As most of the U.S. is still prepping for spring planting, USDA’s weekly crop progress report shares Texas growers have already planted more than half their corn acres.