Planting

Are Your Fields A Green Light? Use the Three-Factor System To Guide Planting Decisions

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:51:42 GMT

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie is urging farmers to pay close attention to soil conditions and local weather forecasts as planting accelerates across the Midwest.

Ferrie and his team at Crop-Tech Consulting recommend using a “red-yellow-green light” system to guide planting decisions. The practice is based on three factors: soil moisture, seed chilling risks and the 10-day emergence forecast.

The information on the green-yellow-red color system for planting is pretty self-explanatory, says Ken Ferrie. Once you know the light color, you can see the meaning and the action he recommends taking.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

Regional Forecast And Recommendation

Despite ongoing weather struggles from cold and rain in some parts of the country, planting progress continues across much of the upper Midwest.

For central Illinois, Ferrie says there is a green light for Monday, with some areas getting a yellow or red light for Tuesday. The U.S. National Weather Service says a weak cold front will bring the next chance for storms later on Tuesday, some of which could be severe. Temperatures will turn cooler for midweek.

Ferrie warns that the first 12 to 24 hours seed corn is in the ground are the most critical. During this window of time, the seed absorbs 30% of its weight in water. If that water is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the cells lose elasticity and tear. Chilled seed corn can easily result in a 10% stand loss.

“You can literally tell the difference between fields that were planted in the morning compared to in an afternoon that’s going into a cool night,” Ferrie says. “That is why you’ll see our lights change at noon some days, trying to get enough water absorbed before the soil temperature drops.”

You can get more information from Ferrie on the perils of seed corn chilling in this brief video:

Ferrie says if corn takes longer than 11 days to emerge, those kernels that were planted “spike down” will struggle to compete.

“The spike-down plants can be a week or two weeks behind the spike-up plants,” Ferrie explains. “At that point, they will be more than a collar behind and not produce a regular-sized ear.”

Listen to Ferrie’s complete recommendations in his Boots In The Field podcast:

A Frustrating Spring: Spotty Spring Rains Push Southwest Iowa Planting Slightly Behind

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:33:18 GMT

USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report showed as of Sunday, 22 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is planted, which is right in line with the five-year average. Soybean planting sits at 11 percent, which is just slightly behind. But those statewide numbers don’t tell the whole planting story this year. In southern Iowa, spotty spring showers are creating a far more uneven planting picture for farmers trying to make progress in the field.

In the far southwestern corner of Iowa, farmer Pat Sheldon is finally back in the field and relieved to see planters rolling again after a stop-and-start spring.

“We’ll be 25 or 30 percent done with the beans by the end of the day,” says Pat Sheldon, a farmer from Percival, Iowa.

While Sheldon prefers to be wrapped up planting by now, this season is running just a bit behind his typical pace.

“Usually we like to try to have almost everything done by now. We’re shooting for the end of April, but we usually don’t make it. So we’re a little behind where we normally are,” Sheldon says.“For no sooner than we started, we’ve come right along.”

About 80 percent of his corn is already planted, but some acres remain too saturated to finish, especially on his heavier ground.

After being out of the field for much of the past week due to wet conditions, Sheldon says the moisture hasn’t been as severe as in other parts of the region, but still enough to delay progress.

“We’re not as wet as it’s been east and south, but just enough to keep you out,” Sheldon says.

Even so, he is confident that progress will accelerate quickly if the forecast holds.

“The forecast looks good for here anyway, dry weather for a week or so, and I can get a lot done on the bottom when it’s dry,” Sheldon says.“ Just need dry weather and sunshine and let us work. It won’t take long. It’ll go in fast once it stays dry like this for a few days.”

Input costs have been a concern across agriculture, but Sheldon says his operation avoided the worst of recent fertilizer price spikes by planning ahead.

“We had all of our dry on last fall and over half of our anhydrous before it got too nasty for us to keep going, and we finished it up this spring,” Sheldon says. “We had it all pre-bought before all the prices went crazy, so we were fortunate on that aspect.

With planting back up and running this week, Sheldon says their operation is “in good shape,” and it’s that sense of stability is a stark contrast to conditions just seven years ago.

Sheldon’s family farm is situated next to the Missouri River. It’s fertile ground that’s been in his family for generations. But in 2019, Sheldon’s farm was devastated by flooding along the Missouri River, with water levels reaching several feet high in areas that are now being planted.

“There was probably three feet of water where we’re standing. Nothing got planted in the bottom ground. There was some stuff in the hills, but that was about it,” says Sheldon.

The floodwaters lingered for months, leaving lasting reminders still visible today.

“The water was here about 100 days. It was late June, I think, when they closed the breach,” Sheldon says.

And he says for the water lines still stained on the rain bins, it’s a constant reminder of what the Missouri River can take away, often without warning.

“You have a reminder every day,” says Sheldon. “You see it every day.”

Farming along the Missouri River means managing both risk and resilience. Despite the challenges, Sheldon says recent years have brought more favorable growing conditions, and he’s hopeful this year is shaping up to be the same.

“Are you optimistic about this growing season,” we asked.

“Very, very, as far as raising a crop,” Sheldon says of his outlook for 2026. “We’ve got decent moisture, probably better than we had going in last year. We’ve been lucky the last two or three years—timely rains, not a lot of rain, but at the right time—and we’ve raised really good crops. We’re hoping for more of the same.”

Cold Snap, Wet Soils Put Corn on Hold, but Beans Still Get Green Light

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:54:36 GMT

A soaking rain has pulled much of the Midwest out of drought, but it’s also put the brakes on corn planting just as a cold snap settles in, says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

Ferrie explains that recent storms dropped anywhere from a half inch to 4” of rain across farmers’ fields and, with it, erased lingering drought stress and filled ponds that “will probably stick around a while.” The moisture, however, has saturated soils to the point that most of his planting “signal lights” for corn are now red.

“Due to wet conditions, most everyone is red at this point, and that doesn’t change until the soil is fit,” says Ferrie, who’s based in central Illinois. “We don’t mud in corn.”

Cold Spell Drives Conservative Corn Strategy

Ferrie bases his current recommendations on the close agreement between the Global Forecast System (GFS) and European weather models through May 9, both of which point to a stretch of cold conditions unfavorable for corn establishment.

“When they’re close together, the accuracy is usually higher and they both indicate a cold spell,” he says.

With that outlook, he’s cautioning growers across multiple regions to be conservative on planting corn especially until temperatures and soils improve. He emphasizes that while model divergence after May 9 could change the picture, he’s focusing on the 10-day window where the models agree to set planting guidance.

“Three days is a long time in weather forecasting, but they do seem to hit the temperatures closer than the rainfall amounts,” Ferrie says. “So, we’ll reevaluate on Monday to see how this forecast changes.”

Regional “Signal Lights” For Planting Corn

Ferrie uses a green-yellow-red “signal light” system to simplify planting decisions:

In areas around Jacksonville, Ill., and further south, conditions shift to a green light for corn starting Sunday noon, May 3, before turning more cautious midweek.
Along the U.S. Highway 136 corridor, he calls for a yellow light on May 3, switching to red by next Wednesday noon, May 6, likely holding through May 9.
In northern Illinois and around Iowa City, Ferrie highlights there will be rapid swings in planting opportunities as forecasts point to a seed-chilling event moving in.
In northeast Iowa (Cresco area), Rochester, Minn., and across much of Wisconsin, the guidance is straightforward: “It’s going to be a red light until May 9,” he says.

Across all these regions, Ferrie’s advice centers on patience with corn until soils are ready and the coldest temperatures pass.

The map released today shows the Midwest with only a handful of dry areas, unlike in the West and Southeast where farmers are seeing extreme drought to the degree that some have parked their planters for lack of rainfall.

(U.S. Drought Monitor)

Beans Offer Opportunity—If Ground Is Fit

Even as he urges caution on planting corn, Ferrie says the forecast still allows room for farmers to progress on soybeans where field conditions permit.

“We still have a green light on beans if the ground is fit,” he says.

He urges farmers to pay close attention to seed quality and stand establishment, especially where soybeans are untreated.

“Watch your percentage germ on your tag, especially if the beans aren’t treated,” Ferrie says. “You may need to bump those populations up a little for weed control.”

Most of the “frosted off” early beans in Illinois have already been replanted or patched, he notes, but some drowned-out ponded areas will likely need follow-up patching once water levels recede.

Manage Corn Risk In The “Yellow Windows”

For growers who have not yet put any corn in the ground, Ferrie recommends using upcoming yellow-light windows to strategically manage risk — without forcing corn into marginal conditions.

“If you haven’t planted any corn yet with the planter, and to mitigate some risk, you may want to get some corn planted in these yellow windows so you’re sure that you can put the hammer down when this cold snap passes through,” he says.

That approach, he explains, helps spread risk across planting dates, while still respecting soil fitness and seedbed quality. The goal is to avoid having all corn acres exposed to the same stress event, whether it’s chilling, crusting or prolonged saturation.

Ferrie encourages growers to stay tuned for updates as the forecast evolves, noting that temperature forecasts tend to be more reliable than rainfall projections in the short term. He directs farmers to ongoing updates and deeper discussion via his team’s online and audio channels.

To stay up to date, check out Ferrie’s website at croptechinc.com and subscribe to his podcast, Boots In The Field. You can listen to it at the link below:

Corn Reigns King For Planting in Northwest Iowa

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 03:15:32 GMT

Plant 2026 is underway for farmers in Northwest Iowa, including Matt McCarthy who started planting this week.

USDA’s crop progress report showed Iowa farmers have just 1% of the corn planted compared to the 2% average.

According to USDA’s Prospective Plantings report farmers in Iowa intended to plant 450,000 less acres of corn this year and shift those over to soybeans.

Corn is King in Northwest Iowa

However, that may not be the case for McCarthy and others in Northwest Iowa where corn is king.

“Nope, I haven’t switched any acres,” McCarthy said. “I think we’re heavily corn acres in this county, and we have probably better corn farms than bean farms. So, the rotation guys will stay with their rotation. And I think some of the corn on corn, as long as there’s manure involved, we’ll stay corn on the corn.”

He’s not alone, McCarthy’s seed customers and other farmers in Northwest Iowa are also planting corn on corn.

Typically half of the area in his area are either continuous corn or planted corn on corn for two years, with soybeans rotated in the third year.

And he with the use of livestock manure he has not seen any yield drag.

“Some of my best yields or the best yields were continuous corn fields last year,” he said.

Livestock Drives Corn Production

McCarthy said corn’s reign is due to the concentration of cattle and hog production in northwest Iowa.

He believes livestock manure aids in soil fertility and allows them to grow continuous corn, which is in demand as a feed source.

The availability of manure helps cut fertilizer costs which have increased from last fall due to war in Iran.

McCarthy said his bill for 32% is up from $250 to $275 a ton from last fall. “That’s the highest I think I’ve ever paid,” he said.

However, the inability to source fertilizer is not a concern as most farmers in the area already applied anhydrous ammonia and spread manure last fall.

Disease and Weed Control

Disease isn’t deterring McCarthy or other farmers from planting corn either, even though Southern Rust was heavy in spots in 2025.

He said growers understand this disease better than past years and the timing of fungicides leaving them more confident about planting corn again this year. “If you’re a guy that does corn on corn, I think you’ll go back to the corn,” McCarthy said.

However, he ramped up his weed control program due to resistance issues like water hemp.

Planting Progress Slightly Behind

Planting progress is behind last spring due to heavy rains and cold soils but McCarthy historically starts planting right after the insurance date, so he’s not concerned.

“No, I think that if we look at historically, we’re not usually planting till the 20th of April. So I think we’re fine, just everyone’s probably antsy to get out there. I think the early corn plantings do have an advantage. So, I think everybody wants to get going.”

Still, he’s thankful for the moisture since it was a fairly open winter.

“We were generally pretty dry this winter.,” he said, “When we warmed up in February into March, we were dry, and now that we just got two inches, we’re in pretty good shape to get the crop started.”

And a good start to the crop is a big key to high yields, which leaves McCarthy optimistic about the season.

Will Farmers Really Plant Less Corn in 2026?

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:32:23 GMT

Early acreage estimates for the 2026 planting season are showing an expected shift out of corn into soybeans.

S&P Global released their estimates and pegged corn acreage at 95 million, down 3.8 million acres from 2025. The firm is projecting an increase in soybean plantings of 3.2 million to 84.5 million acres.

Will Farmers Really Plant Less Corn in 2026?

Some of the shift from corn to soybeans is tied to normal rotation, but this year farmers might have more certainty about planting soybeans with China back in the U.S. soybean export market. Another deterrent for corn planting is just the higher input costs associated with corn, especially fertilizer. None of the principal crops is showing a profit in 2026 but the National Corn Growers Association is projecting a $180 per acre loss on corn this coming growing season.

Still, Lane Akre, economist with Pro Farmer, says with a mild fall allowing for fertilizer applications, Pro Farmer is anticipating corn acreage in the U.S. will again be high in 2026.

“We increased our corn acreage estimate from 94 million acres to 95 million acres this last week,” he says. “I know S&P Global is at about that same mark.”

Corn Soybean Price Ratio Matters
Akre says the corn to soybean price ratio as well as the possible crop insurance guarantees historically influences acreage decisions.

That was true in 2025 when farmers planted a near record 98.79 million acres of corn, which was up over 8 million acres from 2024. Conversely, farmers planted 81.22 million acres of soybeans, which was down 6 million from 2024. However, that decision was also influenced by possible tariffs and a trade war with China.

(Pro Farmer)

Historical Corn Soybean Price Ration
“So that ratio has a 10 year average of about 2.4, but last year following the tariff threats on China the market knew that we weren’t going to be exporting a lot of beans to China. So that ratio fell down to about 2.25 to 1, and that’s when we saw corn acres explode up to that 98 million acre mark,” Akre explains.

He says they are closely watching those ratios for their impact on the remainder of planting decisions, which farmers are making right now.

“This last week, that ratio basically went from 2.3 up to 2.4,” he adds. “So right near average and above 2.4 is where we start to see soybeans really start to gain more market share, but the change hasn’t been that big.”

Soybeans Need to Rally to Bid for Acres
So with soybean carryout still historically tight at 350 million bushels and with improving export sales, Akre thinks the soybean market may need to rally soon to attract more acres.

“But it’s not only what soybeans do,” he says. “If corn just stays around $4.20, like it’s done over the past week, I don’t think soybeans are going to have to work that hard.”

If soybean prices can rally above $11 they would look more attractive to farmers, especially if corn prices stay flat and under that scenario Akre says acreage could shift.

“You get pushing above $11, and I think the market, I think people are going to start planting more soybeans pretty quickly,” he explains. “Once that happens, especially if that ratio gets to 2.5, 2.6, we’ve seen it happen earlier in the 2020s, when there was a lot of hype and a lot of exports with the Phase One trade agreement, a lot of hype with crush, we saw a lot of soybean acres.”

Crop Insurance Prices Also Play a Role
That corn to soybean price ratio will be reinforced with the spring crop insurance price guarantees set during February.

(Pro Farmer )

In 2025 federal crop insurance spring projected prices, finalized in February 2025, set the benchmark for revenue protection. This also contributed to additional corn acres last year as the corn price guarantee was up 16¢ per bushel compared to soybeans, which was down nearly a $1.

Corn: $4.70 per bushel (up from $4.66 in 2024).
Soybeans: $10.54 per bushel (down from $11.55 in 2024).
Spring wheat: $6.55 per bushel (down from $6.85 in 2024).

It's Not a Record Planting Pace in Illinois, But Here's Why One Farmer Likes Planting Corn in May

Wed, 21 May 2025 13:28:41 GMT

Walking through his last field of corn to plant, west central Illinois farmer Brent Johnson was nearing the finish line last Monday. Missing the spotty pop-up showers, he finished planting corn that evening.

“We’re planting a little deeper because they’re calling for spotty rains, so we’re not assured of a rain,” Johnson says, digging in his field to check planting depth. “We just set the planter a half a hole deeper the last time we refilled with seed.”

As he dug in the field, he liked what he saw. There was soil moisture deeper down, and that’s exactly where his seed was sitting.

“This will work until we do get a rain,” Johnson says.

Along with the spotty showers, Mother Nature also turned up the heat last week, a crucial ingredient to propel emergence in this freshly planted field.

“We’ll take the warm temperatures,” says Johnson, whose home farm is based in Ashland, Ill. “Frankly, we’re going to get this corn out of the ground that we’re planting, and for the soybeans, depending on how deep we plant them, in five to seven days. That’s perfect. And that’s also where we think some of our May yield benefit has come from in the past years is getting that corn uniformly out of the ground and quickly.”

As some farmers rush to get the crop planted early, Johnson doesn’t mind the wider window to plant. It’s the May planted corn that not only helps at harvest, but seems to yield better.

“I plant in May intentionally,” Johnson says. “We can’t harvest everything in a shorter window as we plant. And so I like corn that is not sub 15% moisture when we’re finishing. This will be one of our last fields we’ll harvest, so I am completely fine with having some May corn. Most of our May corn in most years has been our highest yielding, so I’m perfectly fine with what we’re doing here today.”

This isn’t the earliest Johnson has ever finished planting. He’s had plenty of years that they finished planting in April. He could have started planting in March, but he opted to wait.

“The soils were cool. We do plant beans first, but we waited until about April 8 to start soybeans,” Johnson says. “We planted five days, and then we got rained out, and we’ve had a lot of those just stop and go opportunities, but the end is within sight.”

That’s the story for central Illinois this year. It was a planting season that had an early start for many, only to have several stops due to rain.

“It’s been spread out,” Johnson says. “We’ve had intermittent planning windows where we get three days, five days. I’m not sure we’ve actually put an entire week together yet, but between that and trying to get things sprayed, it’s been a normal central Illinois spring.”

According to USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report, Illinois farmers who dodged the rain last week made some major planting progress. USDA says 74% of the state’s corn crop is planted, which is three points behind average, but a 20-point jump in just a week.

Soybeans are 67% planted, which is three points ahead of the normal pace.

Similar to other farmers this year, Johnson planted more corn. Typically, they’d be 50% to 55% corn, but this year, two-thirds of their acres are dedicated to corn.

When Farm Journal visited Johnson on Monday last week, he was finishing planting his final yield of corn with plans to move to his final field of soybeans the next day. Missing the rains that hit the area, he was able to finish as planned.

It’s a time of year Johnson doesn’t like to rush. Instead, he caters his fertilizer to each field’s need.

“That is just a planter applied fertilizer,” he says. “That’s just 32% UAN and ammonium thiosulfate mixed together at a ratio farm-by-farm, whether we’re using elemental sulfur or supplementing other ways. So that is farm by farm, planter applied, dribbled right on top of the row with the planter.”

Johnson says they change up everything, depending on the field they’re in.

“We’ll change the ammonia rate, whether we use N-serve, based on if the field has tile or doesn’t have tile and then what our yield goal is,” he says. “And then also as we get later in the calendar, we’ll lower our nitrogen rate because of the good prairie soils that we’re blessed to farm will give us more back.”

Field trials aren’t an afterthought for this Illinois farmer. Instead, they’ve become a pivotal part of his planting routine every year.

“I got that addiction from my father,” Johnson says with a smile on his face. “My father was an early adopter, which I’m blessed to have, but also he has a lot of trials. We have a trial literally in every field.”

And when it comes to fertilizer, the lessons have been not only valuable, but they’ve been surprising.

“A couple years ago, my father challenged me with how much nitrogen I was putting on. 20-year-old Brent would have dug my heels in and said, ‘no, you’re wrong.’ But 40-year old Brent said, ‘Well, okay, let’s figure it out.’”

“We’re on year four of the nitrogen trial, and we are learning that we are getting no more nitrogen from the soil. And that all this fancy stuff we’re doing with the planter and everything else that most of the time slows us down, is not necessarily the best ROI.”

Johnson plants for 275 bu. per acre on corn and 85 bu. per acre on soybeans, but the long-term goal is 300 bu. per acre corn and 100 bu. beans across his entire farm.

“I think we’re off to a great start,” Johnson adds. “I think that is attainable, and with the prices, we need to have those yields.”

Johnson is neutral to bullish on the year as he hangs on to hope that crop prices will improve while controlling what he can.

Ferrie: Four Must-Know Tips For Making Corn Replant Decisions

Mon, 19 May 2025 21:43:58 GMT

As farmers cross the finish line with the 2025 planting season, many are now returning to fields for corn stand evaluations to see what kind of plant emergence and uniformity they have.

“If replanting is warranted, the sooner you can do that the better in most cases,” says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist and owner of Crop-Tech Consulting, Inc., based in central Illinois.

Here are four recommendations he and other agronomists offer to help you in the evaluation process:

1. Use actual stand count numbers from your fields.
Ferrie tells farmers to start the evaluation process by assessing what their current crop will yield versus what a replanted crop is likely to yield. This involves evaluating the corn stand and total plant populations in each field.

“What you’re looking for is uniformity of corn growth in your fields,” he says. “You want to look at each plant within the row to see if it can put on a viable ear; uniform growth means more plants will be able to do that.”

He explains how poor uniformity impacts growth and development: “Say you have 26,000 corn plants per acre, of which 24,000 are at the three-collar stage and 2,000 are at less than the two-collar stage. Those 2,000 late emergers won’t put on a viable ear and are essentially weeds in the field.”

Ferrie also looks at genetics. “Every hybrid flexes, but how much each will flex varies,” he says. “Some flex in length, some flex in girth and most just flex in kernel depth so you get a bigger ear with the same amount of kernels. If you lose stand, a flex hybrid will often fill in the gaps. However, if a fixed-ear type loses plant count, it won’t be as easy to pick up the slack.”

Ferrie offers a free replant calculator online to help growers make replant decisions. You can access the online calculator here .

If you are also concerned about the quality of your soybean stands, be sure to check out Ferrie’s Boots In The Field podcast here:

2. Destroy the original corn stand and start over.
This is likely a painful undertaking, but attempts to “thicken” corn stands by interseeding directly into an existing stand generally result in additional complications, reports Mark Licht, associate professor and Extension cropping systems specialist, Iowa State University.

“Larger plants compete strongly for space, water, and nutrients and complicate subsequent management decisions,” Licht says. “Thus, it is always recommended that if a replant is warranted, destroy the original stand and start over. If the original stand is adequate, leave it alone and be willing to accept it as is.”

Ferrie agrees with this perspective. “If you can’t bring yourself to tear it out, your stand is good enough,” he says. “Don’t let the coffee shop tell you how to handle your replant decisions. This is not a decision where the majority rules. Each field needs to be called on its own.”

Check out Licht’s Corn Replant Checklist for a list of recommendations he offers on how to make replant decisions.

3. Consider whether you need to change hybrids.
Another major consideration that goes hand-in-hand with making a replant decision is whether or not a hybrid change is needed.

Licht says that prior to June 1 in Iowa, it is recommended to stay with originally chosen well adapted hybrid maturities. However, full season hybrid maturities less consistently reach physiological maturity compared to short season hybrids, especially when planting is delayed past June 1.

4. Estimate replanting costs and commodity prices.
The cost of replanting a field is often the deciding factor. Costs include tillage, seed, fuel (for tillage and planting), additional pesticides, labor, etc. Moreover, consider the chance of fall frost is higher for late-planted corn.

Licht recommends checking with your seed dealer to see what hybrid seed (in a shorter maturity) is available and if there is any rebate or price reduction for replant situations.

Along with that, weigh the costs of replanting against potential return on investment. Talk with agronomic and financial advisers to help you make the decision that’s best suited to your specific scenario.

Your next read: Use Corn Stand Counts To Ease The Stress In Making Replant Decisions

Farmers Race to the Planting Finish Line

Wed, 14 May 2025 02:56:47 GMT

With last week’s warm and mostly dry weather farmers sped ahead on planting across the Corn Belt.

USDA’s crop progress report showed Minnesota led the pace with 75% of the corn now planted, 14% ahead of the five-year average.

Soybeans are over half done and 15% ahead of normal.

Southern Minnesota Nearly Done Planting

2025 has been a record setting planting season for Mike Madsen and many farmers in Southern Minnesota.

“It will be the earliest planting in our in our location and I think if you go 50 miles around us to the west and the south it’s probably even quicker,” he says.

With extreme cold and very little snow cover over the winter, the Heron Lake farmer says spring field conditions couldn’t have been better, even for his no-till seed customers.

“Soil conditions are so good that they got in early and they finished their planting mostly in April I believe.”

Planting Season Stark Contrast to 2024

In 2024 Madsen got this same field planted late and then in June received 15 inches of rain in two days.

“The field that we’re in right now today is an 80 acre field and I think 40 of it we lost to flooding,” he explains.

That was followed by flash drought.

Yet, at the Madsen farm they still harvested close to average crops.

So he’s optimistic about yield potential with this spring’s faster start.

“We’re looking for record, I would say, trend line to record yields if we can get the moisture,” he adds.

Agronomically Shooting for Record Yields

Madsen also pushes his corn populations gunning for higher production.

“I’m pushing 37 (37,000) now on some of these varieties that that are a determinant ear that need the ear count out there.”

However, he and many of his customers kept their normal rotations. They’re bucking the trend as USDA estimates farmers in Minnesota intend to switch 400,000 acres of soybeans into corn.

“Personally, we stick with rotations. It just works better for both crops.”

With the recent above normal temperatures, Madsen’s early corn has already emerged.

“We have seen it pop out of the ground within a day or two from nothing to rowing the corn in two days. So, that that’s that’s huge for yield potential to get it out of the ground in the first week of May that’s almost unheard of.”

With the jump start he’s also hoping to beat heat stress and predicted drought for his area during critical reproductive stage for corn.

The soil profile is three-fourths full, so he thinks he’ll be okay for pollination.

And Madsen needs to bushel up to make up for even slimmer margins than in 2024.

“Currently, very tight. That’s why we’re all happy to see the crop in the ground and growing, hoping for a good yield to make up for the price that we can’t seem to get off where it’s been the last year or so,” he says.

Nationally Corn and Soybean Planting Has Sped Ahead of Average

Nationally corn planting is now well past the halfway mark with 62% of the crop planted, that’s 6% ahead of the five-year average.

Soybeans are also much further along with 48% now planted, that’s 11% ahead of the norm.

Many farmers on our “Plant Your Independence” tour have already wrapped up planting.

Rod Parkinson is seeing corn plants emerge in Illinois.

((Wyffels, Rod Parkinson))

Rod Parkinson, Wataga, Illinois

In Western Illinois, Rod Parkinson says corn is growing fast thanks to heat and plenty of GDUs at his farm near Wataga.

He says anything planted last week, is emerging in 6-to-7days.

He estimates 98% of the corn in his area is planted and nearly 100% of the soybeans.

Casey Kelleher farms in Whitewater, WI

(Wyffels)

Casey Kelleher, Whitewater, Wisconsin

Weather continues to be a roller coaster in Whitewater Wisconsin for Casey Kelleher.

We visited his farm last week, while he was stopped for rain.

Since then they’ve finished planting.

A lot of the corn is up with good stands and good color.

Ward Hunter farms in Ogden, IA

(Wyffels)

Ward Hunter, Ogden, Iowa

Heading into Iowa...as we told you last week, Ward Hunter in the central part of the state has also finished planting, and he says the crops look really good.

They’ve been fortunate to have no replant so far this spring.

However, he’s hearing a lot of crusting in west central and northwest Iowa, which is forcing replant on some soybeans in those areas.

Temperatures are forecast to reach near 90 degrees on Wednesday... and if they don’t get any moisture this week, they’ll definitely need a good rain by next week.

Jeff Reints

(Wyffels)

Jeff Reints, Shell Rock, Iowa

In the northeast part of the state...Jeff Reints says he finished planting at the end of last week.

Most farmers in the area are done with corn and have only 10%-to-15% of the soybeans left to seed.

With above normal temps crops are emerging quickly, but he says there will be about 5% replant in fields hit by heavy rains that sat in saturated soils too long.

Brent Johnson farms in Ashland, IL

(Wyffels)

Brent Johnson, Ashland, Illinois

And Brent Johnson in Ashland, Illinois says he finished planting earlier this week.

Out of all the farmers we talked to on the tour this year, he’d normally be one of the first ones to finish.

But it’s been an odd spring with very sporadic rains. That’s caused planting to happen in small doses, versus one long stretch.

Add 75+ Bushels Of Corn Per Acre With Better Closing Wheel Performance

Tue, 13 May 2025 11:33:20 GMT

A single oversight at planting often costs corn growers 75 to 100 bu. per acre, yet many don’t even know they have a problem that needs solving. The problem? It’s poor planter closing wheel performance.

Closing wheels are supposed to deliver good seed-to-soil contact by eliminating air pockets, gently firming the soil around the seed corn and closing the furrow.

When those final steps in the planting process are done poorly, corn germinates unevenly and there’s no way to go back and undo the damage. For the rest of the growing season, you’re left with a crop that can’t perform up to its potential.

Corn yield champions David Hula and Randy Dowdy say they see the issue routinely when they check corn emergence and do stand counts with farmers.

Simple Calculations Help Pinpoint Losses
“Each row is an individual and producing income for you, and when you took and did the math, I remember seeing 190-bu. swings across the planter,” Dowdy tells Hula. “But just how many times do we see 100 bu. swings?”

Hula agrees that he has seen 190-bu. yield losses occur in extreme cases. He adds that even the best farmers incur some losses from poor closing wheel performance.

“I would say the average [has been] closer to 75 to 100 bushels,” he says. “The best one I saw was a farmer we worked with in Iowa, and they had spent a lot of time on his 12-row planter, and he still had a 27-bu. loss per acre,” adds Hula in the latest episode of the Breaking Barriers podcast.

You can also watch the podcast at Farm Journal TV - Agriculture video on demand.

Centered Over The Row
Closing wheels need time and attention to bring them into alignment just like any other part of the planter. Dowdy says even new planters with all the latest technology still need to have their closing systems checked.

“I was vetting a new 24-row planter in Michigan this spring, and on five of the rows the V-press wheel on one side was running in the furrow. That’s 20% of the rows, a problem perpetuating itself across every field,” he says.

“Those V-press wheels have a tendency to walk left and right because the bolt design that manufacturers use just won’t keep them centered,” adds Dowdy, who’s based near Valdosta, Ga. “It doesn’t seem to matter which manufacturer’s V-press wheels we’re using, either.”

If V-press wheels are set correctly over the row, Dowdy says they will leave a slight ridge or berm of soil above the planted seed to help ensure good seed-to-soil contact.

“But if you’re not centered that little ridge will not be directly over the seed and that’s problematic,” he says. “That will change your seed planting depth and impact emergence. No way will those corn plants all emerge at the same time and they won’t yield the same.”

Do The Job Other Farmers Won’t Do
Hula, a five-time world champion corn grower, suggests that farmers “trust but verify” their closing wheel system is performing well as they plant every field.

“I know that takes time, but think of how much revenue you’d gain by being willing to check and make some adjustments during the planting process,” says Hula, who farms near Charles City, Va.

The best way to check closing wheel performance is to do some digging behind the planter, notes Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

“We dig a cross-section of the row and work until we can find the seed and observe how it was placed in the soil,” Ferrie explains. “In ideal conditions, you want to see the seed at the bottom with enough firm soil over the top of it to keep the seed area from drying out.”

Do You Have The Right Closing System?
Another consideration, Hula says, is farmers need to determine whether they are using the best closing wheels for their situation. In the evaluation process, he says to look at your tillage system, soil texture, field conditions and weather.

“We can’t just throw dollars around at these market prices, but if you can get a better closing system that adds more revenue to your bottom line, that will pay for itself quickly,” he says.

Hula has been using a two-stage closing wheel system for the past six years and believes it significantly improves corn planting performance compared to traditional closing wheel designs.

“We have seen our emergence uniformity improve significantly these past few years,” he says.

Hear more from Hula and Dowdy on a recent episode of “AgriTalk.”

Your Next Read: Master The Use of Growing Degree Units to Boost Corn Yield Potential

The Omega Block Has Taken Over, And It Could Have a Major Impact on Drought and Planting Progress

Tue, 06 May 2025 19:59:56 GMT

What was a rapid planting progress across the Midwest became stalled by a wetter weather pattern to finish April. But now that we’re into May, an Omega Block is causing that pattern to shift, and that could bring good news for the drought-stricken Plains. It could also propel planting progress.

Michael Clark, CEO and co-founder of BAM Weather, says the rainfall totals over the past week have been unprecedented.

“If you look at areas like the South Central Plains, we have had rainfall totals that have exceeded really a foot or more of rain,” Clark says. “Places like Oklahoma, north-central Texas, that’s a 13" rainfall observation the last seven days. So the South Central Plains has been inundated with rain.”

Rainfall the past seven days as of Friday.

(Michael Clark, BAM Weater )

There were other areas that saw a sudden onset of moisture, which includes central Iowa, the Dakotas and southern Minnesota.

“We’ve lacked in the way of rain in eastern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,” Clark says. “That’s going to matter a little bit going forward.”

Brace Yourself for the Omega Block

Areas of the Midwest will see warmer and drier weather this week, while parts of the drought-stricken Plains are starting to see some much needed rains, and the Omega Block is to thank for that.

“The Omega block, essentially, what it does is it brings in an area of high pressure over the central part of the country. And in the seven day rainfall map here, that we have, that shows the forecast. It kind of shuts moisture off in the central U.S., but it adds to it in the West and into the East and even to the South,” Clark says.

The rainfall forecast for the next 7 days as of Friday.

(Michael Clark, BAM Weather )

“You can kind of see that U shape forecast there,” he adds. “This is a seven day rainfall forecast map, so for a lot of folks in the heart of the Grain Belt, there is going to be really a shutoff in moisture as we head into May, but there will be an excess of moisture across the Deep South continuing.”

Clark says it could be too much of a good thing for some, as he’s concerned about too much rain in parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

“But the Omega block is good news for folks that need to get into the field and get some work done,” he adds.

A Big Warm-Up in May

April turned out to be a cooler than average month for temperatures. In fact, many farmers in the Midwest will tell you there’s one thing their crop needs right now, and that’s more sun.

Clark says the forecast is turning warmer and there is not as much rain predicted over the middle of the country.

“The forecast right now for the May temperature outlook is for, I think temperatures to start to warm up relatively pretty quickly for the month of May,” Clark says. “Most of the U.S. growing regions are going to be at or much above normal temperatures and probably a pretty rapid onset to summer. So there is going to be a rapid uptick in the planting pace here over the next couple of weeks, no doubt about that.”

May temperature outlook

(Michael Clark, BAM Weather)

As for the precipitation, Clark says it’s leaning toward favorable for planting progress, as well, but he is concerned about the dryness starting to creep in.

“It will be good for planting. I’m concerned that late May into June, we may be running into some deficits and needing some rainfall,” he says. “So the outlook right now is as we get further into May and into June I’m concern about a potential shutoff and moisture and a little bit more heat to contend with.”

May moisture outlook

(Michael Clark, BAM Weather )

Concerns About Dryness

Clark says when you look at how the May forecast is shaping up, he compares it more to years like 2001, 2006, 2012, and even 2021.

“Now, whenever I drop 2012, people’s ears always perk up and they get a little nervous, rightfully so,” he says. “I’m not saying a year like 2012 would happen, but I am concerned overall that years like that, they present issues with lack of moisture and excessive heat. I think this growing season is something that will be presented with its fair share of challenges in the weather department.”

Rain Slows Record Start to Iowa Planting Season, but Farmers Optimistic About Early Finish

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:45:00 GMT

Before the weekend rains in the central Corn Belt, farmers in Iowa were off to a record start to planting with 18% of corn and 11% of soybeans in the ground, well ahead of average.

That was true for Jeff Reints who says, despite the setback, he’s still on pace to be done planting by the first week of May. Reints started planting corn at his farm in northeast Iowa, near Shell Rock, on April 8.

“This is definitely our earliest start,” he says.

Reints, who farms 5,500 acres with his son, Clay, and Bruce Swinton, says early field conditions were ideal.

“The ground was just perfect so we felt like we had to take advantage of the conditions,” Clay says.

They strip-till phosphorus, potassium and a third of their nitrogen before planting corn in the spring. No-till beans are seeded simultaneously, which is a bit of a frost risk for both crops.

Jeff says, “We did have beans in ahead of the April 15 soybean crop insurance day, but both planters have been running,”

Getting over several thousands of acres dictates planting corn and beans at the same time, but Jeff says the risk is also worth the reward.

“A lot of times with these early beans, we see a 5 bu. to 7 bu. yield bump, especially if we get delayed and it’s mid- or late May or even early June occasionally.”

The same can be said for the yield potential on early planted corn, as Reints says the crop pollinates before the intense summer heat.

“With these modern hybrids, their yield punch is that flex of the kernel size, kernel depth or weight per ear. If you can still finish that hybrid early to mid-September when we still have some decent growing degree days, you can pack a lot of weight into that ear of corn,” Jeff explains.

Iowa farmers intend to plant 600,000 more acres of corn this year, and an early spring can often entice even more acres.

But Reints stuck with his normal rotation.

“Probably the reason why: I still have hope for this bean market. Corn does tend to be a little more profitable, but there’s some other factors. One of them is rootworm control — that can be a challenge,” he explains.

A soybean processing plant nearby and an ethanol plant across the road also tips his decision.

“We have a heck of a strong market right here in our backyard, so that makes it very, very convenient for us and profitable,” Reints says.

After 3" of rain over the weekend, the farm’s planters are parked with about 50% of their corn and beans in the ground. Reints is confident they’ll finish in early May, which is still ahead of normal and hopefully will give them a leg up if drought predictions materialize.

“This could be a challenging year, but if you plan for a failure, you’re going to have a failure,” Reints adds. “We’ve planned a full production, and we’ll roll with the punches.”

Your Next Read: Iowa Farmers Report Breakneck Planting Pace, Some Even Say They’ll Finish Planting Corn This Week

Planted Acres Soar As Mother Nature Plays Nice (For A Few Days)

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 21:40:00 GMT

Last week’s warm temperatures and handful of rain-free days were a perfect recipe for spring planting — and farmers took full advantage of the opportunity.

Great week of farming. #plant25 pic.twitter.com/KKneurz4Ay
— Travis L (@fishliveinwater) April 19, 2025

At this time last week, USDA reported 4% of corn and 2% of soybean acres had been planted. As of April 20, those numbers have jumped to 12% for corn and 8% for soybeans.

The states with the biggest gains in corn this past week include:

Missouri (24% gain)
North Carolina (23% gain)
Iowa and Kansas (16% gains)

For soybeans, the top states are:

Louisiana (34% gain)
Mississippi (20% gain)
Arkansas (18% gain)

This year’s progress is just ahead of 2024 — up 1% in corn and soybeans alike.

Making Progress While You Can
Not wanting to miss out on Mother Nature cooperating for a few days, some farmers are sharing this is the earliest they’ve planted.

Joined the party. Earliest I’ve ever planted. #plant25 pic.twitter.com/x5yCzGurUf
— Roger Warner (@JDFarmboy) April 18, 2025

This agronomist found corn that’s already emerging in Illinois. USDA reports 2% of the overall corn crop has emerged — mostly in Texas and North Carolina.

We have corn emergence near Stonington, IL. #plant25 pic.twitter.com/oRKQX1AOgR
— Stephanie Porter (@skporter) April 21, 2025

Rain Where It’s Needed?
While a dry spell during planting season is usually good news, there are still many parts of the country in desperate need of a good rain.

It’s dry in Nebraska, @RichVelde! #plant25 pic.twitter.com/kdglMjbkoM
— 🌽 John and my sidekick, Quila 🌾 (@CornDogQuila) April 18, 2025

In fact, as of April 15, USDA reports 30% of corn production and 23% of soybean production occurs in areas currently experiencing some degree of drought.

(USDA)

Though it won’t be enough to reverse a drought, planting did come to a halt over the weekend for some of those states in need of moisture. Farmers’ freshly planted crop received a solid soak as they got a quick break to enjoy time with family.

We got the crust softening rain plus some the corn needed. pic.twitter.com/o2hWbmP2p6
— Zach Townsend (@TandTAg) April 20, 2025

Don’t forget: Legend has it that rain on Easter means rain for another seven Sundays. Plan accordingly.

Rain for the next 7 Sundays??? pic.twitter.com/dYmHLfoLkj
— SharkFarmer (@sf28430) April 20, 2025

Your Next Read: No, You Aren’t Crazy: It Is The Windiest Start To Spring In 50 Years

No, You Aren't Crazy: It Is The Windiest Start To Spring In 50 Years

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:26:04 GMT

If you are tired of battling the wind this spring, you’re not alone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports the windiest start to spring on record, and with wind gusts continuing to grip much of the country, it’s causing headaches for farmers trying to spray herbicide this spring.

“This is the windiest March into early April we’ve had in 50 years,” says Eric Snodgrass, who is Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Principal Atmospheric Scientist. “We’ve had such incredible strong winds, not just here in the Midwest, but also in the Southern Plains. We’ve seen some especially large dust storms at times coming out of Mexico, New Mexico and Texas.”

Snodgrass says it’s safe to say most Americans aren’t enjoying the wind, and that goes for farmers who are forced to change spraying plans due to the wind.

“We’ve had to stop for a couple of days, but it lays down just certain parts of the day and sometimes that’s in the middle of the night, and we’ll take off and spray in the middle of night,” says Bryant Hunter, who farms in Ogden, Iowa.

Just last week, winds were topping 30 mph, making it difficult to even see while planting, let alone getting in the fields to spray.

My spray list after 2 days of wind and 2.5” of rain. pic.twitter.com/aTuWEFcocf
— Eric Earl Mondhink (@emondhinkFH05) April 21, 2025

He says last year was just as challenging with the wind proving to be a constant battle.

“Last year was really hard to spray. We sprayed 3,000 acres in the dark last year,” Hunter says .

Is This a Longer Term Trend?

The bigger question is if it is just a windy start to spring, or if the wind is here for the remainder of the season. There is some good news there.

“Is this part of a longer term trend? Some of the longer term data would say no, but it certainly feels as though we’ve had several springs in a row that have been extremely active with the wind,” Snodgrass says.

There’s No Question; It’s Been a Windy Spring

The windiest start to spring is hitting some places especially hard. Take Michigan for example. Michigan had its windiest March on record. Nine other states had their second windiest.

There are some exceptions, however; northern South Dakota, southern Texas and southern Florida saw some reprieve from the wind.

Recorded wind gusts in Mrch

(Ben Noll, Meteorologist, The Washington Post)

The highest anomalies compared to historical average, shown in dark orange on the map, were 1.6 to 2.4 mph (1 to 1.5 m/s) above that historical average.

In addition, AccuWeather meteorologists found that almost every major city east of the Rockies ranked first or second for the highest average wind gusts for March.

AccuWeather reports Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Little Rock, Kansas City, Indianapolis and Chicago broke their previous average wind gust record for March by a significant margin of 1 mph or more. Indianapolis was the windiest of the windy cities, breaking the previous average wind gust record of 33.69 mph in 2022 by 1.51 mph with a reading of 35.20 mph.

Yesterday, @NOAA's #GOESEast 🛰️ tracked severe #thunderstorms that tore across the central U.S.
Along with flooding rain, the storms produced several reported #tornadoes, as well as more than 100 reports of damaging wind gusts. #GOES19

What's your forecast today?… pic.twitter.com/k2cbBzb50x
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) April 21, 2025

But that’s not all. Washington, D.C., New York City, Raleigh, Miami, New Orleans, Amarillo, Dallas, Minneapolis and Sioux Falls were also ranked the No. 1 windiest March. Boston, Jackson and Corpus Christi were No. 2.

AccuWeather says records for these cities go back 77 to 97 years, typically when the airports were built.

Iowa Farmers Report Breakneck Planting Pace, Some Even Say They'll Finish Planting Corn This Week

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:46:50 GMT

USDA’s second check of planting progress for the season shows Iowa farmers started planting corn this past week, but that number could make a massive jump by next week, as some farmers are seeing a record planting pace.

USDA’s latest Crop Progress Report released on Monday showed 2% of the state’s corn crop is already in the ground as of Sunday, which is 1% behind last year. And as even more planters started rolling in Iowa this week, Ward Hunter of Ogden, Iowa says his field conditions have been favorable for planting. In fact, they haven’t seen any delays since they started planting this year.

“We started April 11, so last Friday, at about noon,” Hunter says. “Ground conditions were dry, and we thought even though it was a little cool, conditions – as far as moisture-wise – were good.”

Hunter says with no rain in the forecast until this weekend, they could finish planting corn on Thursday – which would mark the earliest ever on their operation. After Thursday, they’ll immediately switch to beans.

“No pauses at all. We definitely would like an inch of rain or so, but we’ll plant until we’re done,” Hunter says.

Concerns About Drought
The one concern is moisture. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor paints the picture in Iowa, showing nearly 80% of the state is facing dryness and 30% is seeing drought.

“Moisture is obviously a concern, and so I guess that’s my main concern is adequate moisture,” Hunter says.

The latest Drought Monitor shows 30 percent of Iowa is experiencing drought.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

The Hunters say conditions aren’t as dry as last year during planting, but with 30 mph wind gusts this week, it’s getting drier by the day. And that’s forcing the them to rethink planting depth this year.

“We’re planting about a 0.5" to 0.75" deeper on corn this year than we were a year ago. We’re planting in moisture, but that top couple of inches are dry,” Hunter says.

“Last year, the ground was so dry, we ran pretty hard with the down force,” says Hunter’s son Bryant. “It was just so hard to penetrate that soil and get a good seed trench to hold together.”

In-Season Switch to More Corn
USDA’s March Acreage report also revealed a shift to more corn acres this year, estimating a 5% increase across the state.

“Just in the last couple of weeks, we actually added about 270 more acres of corn,” Hunter says. “We switched like three fields over to go corn on corn. Even though it’s a higher risk planting corn on corn, at least we have a chance economically to break even or make a profit where beans can’t.”

Ward is also a Wyffels dealer, which means he talks to farmers all across his area. He says his farm isn’t alone in the quest for more corn, as he’s hearing a substantial switch to more corn acres this year.

“I’d say 10% to 15% more corn in this area,” Hunter says. “When I’m talking to our retailers we’re getting our fertilizer and things from, they say here in central Iowa [corn acres] are up about 15%.”

That’s not typical. The past three years, Hunter says it’s been a 50/50 split between corn and beans.

“But this year, just because of the crop prices, the guarantee of crop insurance and things like that, it favors corn right now,” Hunter says.

Optimistic About 2025
The Hunters are focused on planting this year’s crop, and it’s off to a promising start – especially if these Iowa farmers can catch a rain this weekend. And they are staying optimistic about 2025.

“I think anybody in agriculture has to be,” Hunter says. “Is it as fun as it was two or three years ago, or even five years ago? I like to refer to those as the golden days of agriculture. Those years were pretty good. Right now, it’s more depressed. But you have to be optimistic. If you’re not, I don’t know what you’re doing in this business.”

Follow Planting Progress
The Hunters are one of six family farms AgDay and U.S. Farm Report will follow this spring for the “Plant Your Independence Tour.” Over the next six weeks, you can track all six farmers’ planting progress on the “Plant Your Independence Tour” page .

Unlock Profits: 5 Essential Questions for Early Soybean Planting

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:43:17 GMT

In the rush to get early soybeans planted, here are five questions to ask yourself prior to putting seed in the ground:

1. Are you using seed treatments to protect the crop?
Early-planted soybeans often stay in the ground up to 25 days, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and insect pressure. Seed treatments can mitigate a lot of risk.

“Today we have fungicides and insecticides to protect those beans at planting, which we didn’t have 10 years ago,” says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, based in central Illinois.

Pest pressure is typically higher early in the growing season as soil and air temperatures warm, triggering life cycles for not only freshly planted soybean seeds, but also pathogens, insects, and nematodes that feed on newly germinated seedlings, adds Jacquie Holland, an economist with the American Soybean Association (ASA).

Holland reports that a 2024 ASA/United Soybean Board survey done with 491 growers indicates 90% of U.S. soybean acres are planted with treated seeds. Only 3% of respondents had never planted any treated soybean seeds.

Fungicides and insecticides are the most widely used seed treatments with 72% and 66%, respectively, of farmers surveyed by ASA indicating these products are applied before planting.

2. Are you a one planter operation?
That will determine whether you have the capacity or equipment to plant soybeans and corn at the same time, if soil and weather conditions permit planting both.

You want to be able to plant corn when conditions are right. Never delay corn planting.

“Once conditions are ideal, you must plant corn,” Ferrie says. “If you miss the sweet spot, you could lose a ½ bu. to 1 bu. of corn per acre for each day’s delay.”

There are various solutions to potential planting bottlenecks. For instance, you can plant soybeans, switch to corn when conditions are right and then finish soybeans whenever you can.

“That mitigates risk by spreading out soybean maturity,” Ferrie says.

Learn more about how to address labor and equipment needs at Eight Steps to Early Soybean Planting

3. Have you considered soybean variety planting order?
Ferrie recommends going with your fullest season beans first and saving shorter season beans for planting later. It sounds counterintuitive, but there are good reasons for that advice.

“Based on our observations, we must plant full-season soybeans early enough to reach at least the three-trifoliate stage before the pre-solstice nights get too short,” Ferrie says. “There’s more time to get your short-season varieties planted early because they need fewer hours of darkness to trigger flowering.”

If early planted soybeans don’t get big enough to start flowering before the solstice, they will produce tall plants and that’s not necessarily a positive.

“The plants will continue to grow, adding vegetative stages until they reach R5 because flowering will be delayed until the nights get long enough after the solstice to trigger the reproductive stage. Tall plants don’t correlate with a yield increase. In two decades of studies, we have seen shoulder-high soybean plants lodge more often and yield less than waist-high plants,” Ferrie says.

4. Is your weed-control program in order?
“With early planting, the time frame for applying burndown, preplant and pre-emergence soybean herbicides is likely to coincide with corn planting,” says Ferrie.

“If your custom applicator is applying preplant and pre-emergence herbicides on corn, he might not want to stop, clean out a sprayer and apply soybean herbicides. I’ve seen soybean planting delayed three weeks while growers waited for a burndown herbicide application,” he adds.

Along with that, you also might need to consider a different option, such as using a pre-emergence soil-applied herbicide with residual control, Ferrie says, as a for instance.

“Follow that with a post-emergence application, applied a little earlier than you are used to. You might need to include a residual herbicide in the post-emergence treatment.”

5. Are you prepared to give soybeans a helping hand?
As soybeans try to emerge they may need some help if the surface crust is hard, meaning you might need to run a rotary hoe. If your hoe has been sitting in a shed forever, now’s the time to get it ready.

“We always say ‘hoe before you know,’” Ferrie says. “When you know you’re already in trouble with the crust, that’s when it’s usually getting too late to get the full benefit out of a rotary hoe. With these prices, you need to play every card you’ve got to add yield,” he says.

The same “hoe before you know” principle applies equally well to corn crops. You can learn more about the process from Ferrie’s video on YouTube Hoe Before You Know

Is The Planting Light Red, Green Or Yellow?

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:30:36 GMT

When the race to plant crops gets underway in your area this spring, take care to not stumble at the starting gate, advises Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

One way to start strong is to evaluate weather and soil conditions to determine whether they’re signaling you have a red, green or yellow light for field work and planting.

“We don’t let the calendar, the coffee shop or neighbors dictate when we go to the field,” Ferrie says. “We do our own investigating and check all soil types, especially those in the lower topography parts of the field.”

Here are four considerations as you prepare for #planting2025:

1. Do The Ribbon Test
Jumping the gun with spring tillage and planting is costly. Ferrie points out that 80% of the compaction service calls he goes on each year can trace their roots back to the first pass the farmer made in the spring.

“Compaction put in by a field cultivator is a bad gift that keeps on giving all year long. You can’t take this gift back and get a redo,” he says.

Before you take off with spring tillage or plant, he advises checking conditions just under your tillage depth. It’s a practice that he calls making a soil ribbon.

Here are three simple steps to make a Soil Ribbon:

a. If you usually run a tillage tool 4” deep, take a shovel and dig down under that to about 5” deep.

b. Collect some soil in your hand and attempt to ball it up. If the soil is wet, it will readily ball up.

c. Once you get the soil balled up, squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger to see if you can make a ribbon about 1½” long.

“If you can make a ribbon, your tillage will not only put in a density change, but it will also put in a compaction layer. That’s a red light,” Ferrie says. “If you decide to move forward with tillage and planting, you probably will need to adjust your yield expectations later in the season as well as your marketing plan.”

Ferrie adds he has known growers who spent a lot of money and time the previous fall with deep tillage that got wiped out by one bad tillage pass the following spring. Don’t be that farmer this season.

2. Know the germ quality of your soybean and corn seed.

That can help you determine planting order or whether you need to check in with your seed supplier about making a product switch, notes Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, based in south-central Michigan, near Coldwater.

Bauer says farmers are finding soybean seed is a mixed bag quality-wise this season, because of dry weather conditions that hammered much of the Midwest in 2024.

“Some of the seed that was harvested for soybeans last fall was under pretty dry conditions, 8%, 9% moisture, things like that,” she reports. “So, the seed quality this year has just been real up and down. We’ve had beans that are just awesome seed quality. And then we get another batch that comes in that’s got issues.”

For growers who might not have tested their soybean seed, she would say see what the cold germ scores are, because of the variation in quality.

“If you’re going to plant early, you want to know it can handle germinating in cold conditions, so we really encourage guys get seed tested,” she says.

With seed corn, if you have seed that tests on the lower end of saturated cold score ranges, Ferrie says to plant that seed once conditions will enable the crop to emerge in five to six days.

“You guys putting starter in-furrow, keep in mind that severe pericarp damage scores tend to lead to more starter burn issues,” he adds. “When it comes to corn stands, many issues are solved when we plant corn based on soil conditions and not the calendar. This could be your highest-yielding corn crop of your career. Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot before we start.”

Here are some additional thoughts on how to Test Your Seed Before Planting To Avoid Quality Issues

3. Avoid Corn Seed Chilling

To avoid seed chilling, Ferrie advises farmers to plant corn only under two conditions. First, check to see that the soil temperature is 50 degrees F or higher, and second, you want a promising weather forecast in the days following planting.

“One of the challenges of planting in soils that are 45° or lower is seed chilling,” Ferrie says. “When the corn seed imbibes moisture, the temperature of the water it takes in has an effect on the seed itself. Water under 50° means that when swelling takes place the cells aren’t as elastic and they tear, which can cause disoriented mesocotyl, no sprouting, etc. It might not kill the plant completely but effects could show up in ear count.”

Corn requires approximately 120 accumulated growing degree days (GDDs) to emerge, under ideal conditions. To calculate GDDs, you can use this equation: GDD = (Daily Maximum Air Temperature + Daily Minimum Temperature)/2 – 50.

He says the first 48 hours after planting corn are most critical. Seed that is subject to cold during that period of time is most vulnerable to chilling. When that occurs, the metabolic reactions necessary for emergence don’t take place in a timely manner.

“Cold seed corn is unable to swell in the ground with the same elasticity as it’s able to achieve with soil temperatures at 50° F or warmer,” Ferrie explains.

When corn emergence isn’t timely, yield potential is docked and you won’t get it back.

“Chilling can eliminate between 10% and 20% of your yield potential,” says Ferrie “You’ll never see that loss driving down the road, but you will if you stretch a tape measure for ear counts.”

4. Plant Soybeans Ahead Of Corn
If your weather conditions and soil temperatures turn unfavorable for corn, consider whether you can plant soybeans.
If the ground is fit, Ferrie would give farmers a green light to plant their full-season soybeans. Ferrie says Group 4s, mid-Group 3 and late-Group 3 soybeans need about 950 growing degree days (GDDs) pre-solstice. Early to mid-Group 3 soybeans need about 810 GDDs.

“We try to get those fuller season beans planted here by April 18,” he says. “With those earlier Group 3s and later Group 2s, maybe shoot for the planting timeframe of April 25 to May 4.”

For more insights on picking the right maturity for your soybean planting window, Ferrie recommends checking out the information from Crop-Tech Consulting Agronomist Matt Duesterhaus. You can find his recommendations here .

Your next read: 300-Bu. Corn Has a Big Appetite for N, P and K

Dip Your Big Toe Into the Process Of Trimming Inputs

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:41:54 GMT

A concept corn yield champions David Hula and Randy Dowdy often share with other growers is the idea that you can’t save your way to prosperity when producing corn, soybeans or any other crop. Their perspective: there is a baseline investment in fertility, and often other inputs, that a crop needs in order to produce and deliver the yield outcome you need.

But beyond that baseline, the two high-yield growers encourage farmers to look at where they can fine-tune practices and products used and reduce their out-of-pocket costs.

Here are four considerations they shared during their latest agronomic discussion on AgDay-TV that you can use to guide some of your key decisions this season.

1. Set specific yield goals for corn or other crops, then set those crops up for success with adequate nutrients.

Understand that “it takes pounds to make bushels,” says Hula, who’s based near Charles City, Va. “Let’s not just routinely cut out potash and other nutrients, we’ve got to have adequate fertility in place to fuel the crop. I always keep that fact in the back of my mind.”

2. Evaluate planting density and whether you can dial back the population.

With corn specifically, Hula is firm believer in fine-tuning plant populations to optimize quick emergence and the development of picket-fence stands.

“You know, if we’re not getting that 8 to 10 bushels of yield per 1,000 plants, then maybe you’re planting corn too thick,” Hula says. “If that’s the case, let’s consider dropping that population down slightly. When you start doing that, you’ll be saving some costs.”

Dowdy counters with a different perspective: “Let’s do a better job with the planter and get the plants all up at the same time,” he tells Hula.

3. Consider the timing for any fertility reductions you plan to make.

Hula says to give corn and soybeans adequate fertility on the front end so they get a strong start. After emergence, he says, is the time to evaluate stands and consider your options for nutrient reductions. He looks at stand quality on a field by field basis.

“Once the crop is up, game on. If you have poor emergence, then that’s just production corn or production soybeans, so you manage them like you normally would,” Hula says.

4. Conduct small-scale trials this season to make informed decisions about where to trim product investments.

“I’ve said many times, farmers never cut out anything they know that pays,” says Dowdy, who farms near Valdosta, Ga. “Sometimes the challenge is doing enough trials on your own farm to know if something pays for itself.”

In Dowdy’s case with growing corn, he has done enough on-farm trials that he is confident there’s a payoff using certain products that support soil biology. “I’m big into feeding the biology and having a carbon source out there, so I won’t cut out humic and fulvic acids. It just won’t happen.”

Whatever product or practice you use, he says if you haven’t evaluated its performance on your farm you run the risk of making cuts that could turn out to be costly instead of providing a benefit. It’s why Dowdy encourages growers to use a flag test to evaluate crop stands.

“If farmers use a flag test, they will understand which acres they can push,” he says.

The basic premise of using a flag test is to mark the corn with different-colored flags as soon as the plants emerge. Using flags, you can keep track of which ones emerged on the same day and which ones emerged in following days. From there, you can track how emergence timing impacted crop performance throughout the season.

Your next read: Corn Yield Champions Share Their No. 1 Tip

Crop Ratings Down As Farmers Battle Heat, Wind And Hail

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:41:19 GMT

As this season’s corn and soybeans emerge, they’re being met with a wide variety of extreme weather events. And according to this week’s USDA report , the conditions of both crops are trending down.

The amount of corn currently in good or excellent condition is 72% (down from 74% last week), while the crop in poor or fair condition is 27% (up from 25%). Soybeans saw a similar trend with 70% in good or excellent condition (down from 72% last week) and 29% in poor or fair condition (up from 27%).

For farmers in South Dakota and Minnesota, this is the result of serious flooding.

3.50” overnight and more coming. pic.twitter.com/ge49rPAE6o
— Dylan Lindeman (@DylanLindeman10) June 17, 2024

Another 2 inches last night. Only 4 more inches to come. That is forecasted for this week. #plant24 pic.twitter.com/8pZqFIwOUG
— Hockey Farmer🥶 (@grfarmgoat) June 16, 2024

Unfortunately, those same crops may be drying out for a bit too long during the peak of the growing season.

New seasonal outlook for July-September Precipitation from Columbia Univ. IRI-Multi-Model Probability Forecast System. pic.twitter.com/Xe8OpBYcFV
— Eric Snodgrass (@snodgrss) June 17, 2024

A bit further south, the crops in Nebraska have seen massive hail.

3.8" hail that fell moments ago 5 miles SW of McCook, Nebraska @NWSGoodland #newx pic.twitter.com/ugkTIpIy7I
— Dan Fitts (@Dan_Fitts) June 17, 2024

And strong winds in Illinois led to a surprise in this corn field.

Got a little wind but the #corn will bounce right back pic.twitter.com/hkXX3wPULf
— Dave Bohm (@siskedorfarms) June 17, 2024

Many meteorologists are predicting more challenges ahead as extreme heat sets in across the country.

This pattern is going to present a world of problems for the US grains.

1. Extreme heat
2. NW flow severe storm clusters
3. Back to extreme heat by end of June
4. Excessively warm night time lows #AGwx #corn #soybeans #oatt https://t.co/cH2mcZmmmX pic.twitter.com/PGIRGSpIwC
— BAM Weather (BAMWX) (@bamwxcom) June 17, 2024

Weather Sends Corn And Wheat Conditions On The Decline

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 17:49:42 GMT

After dodging inclement weather left and right to get this year’s crop in the ground, farmers continue to face Mother Nature’s challenges this growing season.

According to the latest USDA crop progress report , the condition of corn and wheat has started to decline. The majority of corn is still in good condition (58%), but it is down 2% from last week’s report, while the amount in poor condition (4%) is slightly higher. Winter wheat reported to be in good condition (39%) is down by 2%, while the amount in fair (34%) or poor (13%) condition is up by 2%.

This is the first week USDA provided a soybean condition report. The majority of the crop is currently landing in the good (60%) and fair (24%) categories.

This decline can likely be chalked up to various weather events across the country. Texas farmer Lindsay Kimbrell shares her family’s corn has not only been drowned by rain, but also beaten down by hail.

Another 1.5” of rain today, if y’all were wondering.
And I think the corn is losing its mind 🤨
Or should I tell everyone I have corn so good it’s growing 4 ears?! pic.twitter.com/Hk08XedDb2
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 5, 2024

The difference in a half mile.
Hail damage on both ends, but one end significantly worse. pic.twitter.com/biZT6cVeQT
— Lindsay Kimbrell (@LindsayKimbrell) June 11, 2024

The hail and rain combination is familiar to this Missouri grower as well.

2 of our hayfields are under water & 2nd planting of corn is lost to the flood. 1st corn planting destroyed by hail 😢. What a life some years pic.twitter.com/d05ZTFDES4
— Sharon (@SharonK4859) June 10, 2024

Another Texas grower is experiencing the effects of excess rain on his wheat field.

The #wheat has had better days… pic.twitter.com/unc7kkiObc
— Ale Frick (@Engineer_Farmer) June 5, 2024

Iowa agronomist Nicole Stecklein has seen a wide variety of issues this week as well.

This week in pictures:
More seedling disease, mid May planting dates in Fayette, Buchanan, Bremer, Black Hawk counties hit hard.
Slug damage in no till
Extreme sand blasting
Discovering NH3 toolbar issues pic.twitter.com/Hx3puq3Xq8
— Nicole Stecklein (@NicoleStecklein) June 8, 2024

While it’s probably too early in the season to know what this year’s crop will look like based on USDA’s condition reports, Arlan Suderman of StoneX Group shares the historical relationship between June 9 crop conditions and final yield.

This week's #corn condition index score is 384, vs 385 the previous week, 361 the previous year, and vs the 10-year average for the date of 376. I know some of you are wondering what it was in this week in 2019 - 355. #oatt pic.twitter.com/gBXzEjXBZX
— Arlan Suderman (@ArlanFF101) June 10, 2024

What is your crop looking like? Let us know in AgWeb’s Crop Comments .

Related Stories:

How Important Are This Year’s Planting Delays?

How Important Are This Year's Planting Delays?

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 20:53:25 GMT

Farmers aren’t quick to take rain for granted, but the weather this spring has continued to test their patience. 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.

Irwin explains corn’s optimal planting window is between April 20 to May 15 in the corn belt, and after that a decrease in yield should be expected.

“I’ve developed some models to estimate that penalty,” he shared on an episode of the Top Producer podcast. “Based on national planting progress statistics, I find that for each percentage of the U.S. corn crop planted after May 20, yield goes down by about 0.35 bushels.”

On average, he says about 20% of corn is planted after the optimal window. However, this year’s USDA planting progress report on May 19 showed 30% had yet to be put in the ground.

“My personal trend yield forecast for the U.S. corn crop this year is 182.1 bushels per acre,” Irwin says. “You’d probably want to drop that by two to three bushels per acre right now because of above-normal late planting.”

While losing that yield isn’t ideal, rain delays during planting likely won’t be the biggest weather event to impact this year’s crop.

“There’s definitely a pecking order in terms of the most important yield influencing factors for corn production here in the U.S.,” Irwin says. “There’s what I call the golden number for Illinois agriculture and that golden number is four – four inches of rain during July. That’s the No. 1 most important factor for corn yields year in and year out.”

Irwin explains his golden number can swing corn yields by 20 to 30 bushels compared to four or five bushels from late planting.

To hear more from Irwin, including his best advice for commodity marketing, listen to this episode of the Top Producer podcast.

Planting Progress: Fewer Than 10% of Corn Acres Left to Go

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 21:26:36 GMT

Many farmers will be making their way through their final fields this week as planting begins to wrap up.

According to USDA’s latest crop progress report, 91% of corn acres and 78% of soybean acres have been planted. That’s an increase of 8% and 10%, respectively, from last week. While both crops remain significantly behind last year’s progress, they are still on track with the 5-year average.

Of the 18 states USDA tracks, 10 have reached at least 90% of corn acres planted — with North Carolina reporting 100% — and half of them report 80% of soybeans in the ground.

The majority of these states had roughly four suitable days for fieldwork last week by USDA’s standards. Pennsylvania is the outlier with seven suitable days, which makes it no surprise they were able to make the most progress in corn planting (17% increase). South Dakota also used their five suitable days to make a 17% jump in soybeans.

There was also a large jump in crop emergence, with corn reaching 74% emerged and soybeans 55% emerged.

Early corn is loving this weather #plant24 pic.twitter.com/BlYH9u5PxC
— Justin Harre (@jharre611) May 29, 2024

Across the country, many growers are celebrating successfully getting their crops in the ground — despite a challenging start to the season.

#plant24 is a wrap, nice to have moisture, even though it came in different forms. pic.twitter.com/78DlN8haAX
— Allison farms (@Allisonfarms) May 31, 2024

That’s it that’s all! Been another adventure in seeding for 2024! #Plant24 pic.twitter.com/FPE7kxzckX
— Warren (@wstevenson4) June 1, 2024

This is the first week USDA’s report included corn condition. Just over half (53%) is in good condition and 30% is in fair condition, but it’s most likely too soon to use this as an accurate measurement for the crop.

USDA's weekly Crop Progress report will release the first corn condition rating this afternoon. Of note, ratings at this time of year are a relatively inaccurate measurement of final yields. The first report explains only 13% of final yields. Accuracy increases in July. pic.twitter.com/pJwjY9TEp7
— Rich Nelson (@RichNelsonMkts) June 3, 2024

BAMwx chief communications officer and meteorologist Bret Walts joined Monday’s episode of AgriTalk to share the week ahead looks promising for planting progress. According to Walts, states east of Iowa will have a bit more of an active weather pattern while those further west will experience some sporadic rain patches. Overall, he says this looks like it could be the best chance for five days of dry time in the Corn Belt since winter.

It Won't Quit Raining, And Farmers Are Growing Frustrated With How Quickly Planting Progress Has Stalled

Fri, 17 May 2024 21:24:10 GMT

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.

The latest look at planting progress came on Monday, with USDA showing 49% of the U.S. corn crop was planted, 5 points behind average. Soybean planting is still 3 percentage points ahead of average, at 35% complete. But farmers across the Midwest haven’t seen a good stretch to plant in nearly three weeks, with some farmers reporting planting hasn’t even started for them.

“It’s top of mind for so many growers, and I hear it when I talk with them on the phone. We’re hearing planting pace is just continuing to linger,” says Naomi Blohm, a senior market advisor with Stewart-Peterson Group Inc., a part of Total Farm Marketing. “We’ll see how far we get on Monday afternoon’s Crop Progress Report. With 49% of corn planted last week, I’m very curious to see if we can get somewhere closer to the 65% level.”

She says producers in parts of Indiana and Ohio haven’t even started planting, and farmers in Iowa report every time they get back in the field and get started planting, rain pushes them out of the field again.

“That just stops them in their tracks, literally,” she says. “So, the market, of course is aware of that. That’s what’s kept things supported for now. And we’re very, very in tune with the slow panting place. I’ve even heard producers talking prevent-plant if it gets to that, because they’re so frustrated.”

Blohm says the market will continue to be aware of the slow planting pace, but says corn, soybeans and wheat all saw bearish reversals on the charts this week. She points out that’s a sign the market is taking a pause before it gets overly excited about any planting delays.

John Payne, a livestock and grain risk management consultant with Advance Trading, Inc., says he recently drove from Chicago to southern Ohio. He says he was able to see planting progress along his route, which included most of Indiana.

“Naomi described it pretty well. I’d say it’s 50/50, at best, in Indiana, and what wasn’t planted just looked rough. I think at this point, it’s a corn problem,” says Payne.

He says soybeans can be planted a little later, and soybeans have a little more wiggle room on the balance sheet.

“I think we’re sideways here for a while in corn,” says Payne. “Volatility is up, so it’s important to note that, but I don’t think we’ve seen call buyers come in, and that’s kind of boosted the market as well. But I don’t think we’ve seen the surge of short covering that could come if there’s a problem this summer.”

What Farmers Need To Know About Severe Solar Event With Potential To Disrupt GPS

Fri, 10 May 2024 21:33:04 GMT

A chance for millions of people to see an aurora this weekend also brings the risk of radio and GPS disruptions for farmers in the field.

On Thursday, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a severe G4 Geomagnetic Storm Watch. It is the first since January of 2005. Friday at Noon SWPC confirmed the geomagnetic storm had strengthened and indeed reached the G4 level.

The event follows reports of at least seven massive solar flares or earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) from a sunspot cluster 16 times the diameter of Earth.

These solar eruptions cause geomagnetic storms can impact satellite systems and other electronics potentially disrupting communications, electric grids, navigation and radio.

“We have notified all of our infrastructure operators that we coordinate with–satellite operators, communication folks and course the power grid here in North America–so they are able to be prepared and take mitigation measures as much as possible throughout this event if it should unfold to the levels that we currently are anticipating,” says Shawn Dahl, a space weather forecaster at NOAA’s SWPC.

He says the region on the sun is rotating but the activity is not over. Effects are likely to linger through the weekend.

On Friday there were already reports of radio blackouts across Africa, Europe and Asia. SWPC says frequent and longer periods of GPS degradation are possible.

What Does it Mean for Farmers

It’s all happening right as farmers are rushing to get the 2024 crop planted.

“The good news is those radio blackouts for GPS may only last for a few hours or half a day,” says Dr. Terry Griffin a Professor & Cropping Systems Economist at Kansas State University. “My message is: if this is a radio blackout then patience is your best bet. Go check the NOAA website and if the planetary K-Index is red instead of green then go have an early lunch.”

Beyond the inconvenience of delayed field work, there could be real dollars lost to such an extended outage.

From an agricultural perspective, Dr. Griffin has been studying the economic impacts of GPS outages for several years. He’s found that even a few hours to half a day of lost GPS signal can come with a cost for farmers. That’s especially true for farmers who miss an optimum planting or harvesting window. Pushing field work later into the season can ultimately cost them yield and performance during the season.

“There are there are some real penalties and real dollars that come into effect when we’re not able to do field work,” Dr. Griffin said.

That said, it depends on the time of year and the regions impacted. A January disruption would likely have less impact than one during planting or harvest.

Dr. Griffin says while GPS satellites have been in use and in orbit for many years – the first launched in 1978 – civilian use of GPS is relatively new.
He believes these new space weather events will come with a learning curve.

“This was the first solar cycle maximum we’ve had that’s going to be big with satellite communications,” Dr. Griffin said. “So, we’re going to find out some things.”

This latest storm is forecast to show up as a visible aurora on May 10 and May 11 for people as far south as Alabama to northern California.

You can read more and stay up to date with the latest planetary K-Index at www.swpc.noaa.gov.

3 Ways to Make Your Employees Still Like You After Planting

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:08:38 GMT

The race is on to plant this year’s spring crops. Stress will be high as you make progress in a shorter-than-normal window.

While you want to be a doer, you can’t ignore the responsibilities of being a leader, says Bob Milligan, senior consultant at Dairy Strategies and former Cornell University professor.

“Even in busy times, you must maintain leadership as your top priority,” he says.

Milligan says you must focus on these three issues.

1. Organization

“When you stop doing, you lose one person – yourself; when you stop organizing, you lose the work or reduce the efficiency of EVERYONE!” Milligan says.

Your employees have waited all winter to get out in the field, he reminds.

“They are excited! They are willing to work extra hours as needed to complete the spring work,” he says. “To maintain their initial level of excitement, they will require a sense of continuing accomplishment, not frustration from unclear plans, expectations, or directions.”

Before you join in the work, make certain you are thinking several steps ahead, making plans for those next steps and communicating those plans to everyone. Just as you have a system for your spring work, Milligan says, you need a system for communicating with the workforce.

This system should include a combination of:

Short operational meetings
Verbal/text communications
Weekly meetings

“In all cases, there will be many updates as you call audibles to the plans you have laid out,” he says. “These also require clear and frequent communication.”

2. Clarity

Milligan compares communication to “chalking the field.”

“During busy periods everyone is in a hurry, often stressed and sometimes exhausted,” he says. “Each of these increases the likelihood of a communication failure; that what you said is not remembered completely or correctly.”

Milligan provides these ideas for top-notch communication:

Whenever possible, especially when the communication includes numbers or directions, have the details written down so you can leave a copy for later reference. When employees are unsure about details, they are much more comfortable looking at the reference than calling you.
When communicating verbally, ask employees to take notes. Not only does taking notes provide a reference, but it also greatly increases retention. Everyone should always have access to a place to take notes; it can be a mobile device or simply a small notebook.
When communicating specifics – directions, quantities, locations, etc. – the less you rely on memory, the fewer the problems.
As always with “chalking the field,” explaining WHY increases both acceptance and retention?

3. Perceptiveness and Empathy

As the leader, you need to continually take the emotional “temperature” of your dedicated workforce, Milligan says.

“Your employees will work harder and longer than is good for their emotional and/or physical health,” he says.

Watch for these signs:

Look for telltale signs that emotional stress is growing (easily frustrated, quick to get angry, reduced enthusiasm, anything that is out of character). When these signs appear, the person needs a break, a task change, encouragement.
Look for the telltale signs of physical stress: any of the above emotional signs, increased frequency of errors, moving more slowly, resistance to directions, lethargy. You need to move quickly to ensure that this person gets some rest. At this point, the person is an accident waiting to happen.
Make certain people have sufficient short breaks. Machines need refueling and routine maintenance; people need breaks to refresh and replenish. The research is clear that after three to four hours at a repetitive task, productivity has declined such that a adding a break will results in more total work than continuing with the task.
Encouragement and feedback are just as important in busy times. The format will be quick and informal.

“The good news is that the above responsibilities should not require all your time,” Milligan says. “They must, however, be your first priority.”

Read More

Leadership Tip: Focus on Relationships When Stress is High

Be Your Farm Team’s Chief Cheering Officer

It's Scary Dry in the Western Corn Belt, But a Drastically Different Story in the East This Year

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:21:07 GMT

The U.S. drought picture has drastically changed over the past six months, but dry conditions continue to grip the western Corn Belt. Meteorologists say there’s a stark difference in planting conditions in the west versus the east this year.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows after an El Nino winter and active early spring weather pattern, drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020. In early April, more moisture fell across the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast. A strengthening low-pressure system and trailing cold front brought 6" to 18" of snow across the Upper Midwest and northern New England. Rain also saturated soils to the south.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 2024

(Brad Pugh, CPC/NOAA)

Planting progress numbers for corn are starting to roll in, but USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says there’s another crop to watch that might be a better indicator of planting progress this spring.

“I think oat planting is actually a pretty good surrogate for how fieldwork is actually going in the Midwest this time of year,” Rippey says. “You’ll notice an interesting trend on the oat planting chart — in the western part of the Corn Belt, look how fast the crop is going in.”

USDA’s second Crop Progress of the year last week showed oat planting in Iowa is 20 points ahead of normal. South Dakota is 12 points quicker than the average pace. Both are signs that dry weather is creating a rapid planting pace.

Percent oats planted, April 7, 2024

(USDA)

“If you look at the numbers for Iowa and Nebraska, you’ll see almost one-third of the intended oat acreage has been planted by April 7. That’s way ahead of normal,” Rippey explains. “We see planting already taking place in South Dakota, Minnesota and even Wisconsin. Those numbers are pretty unusual for this time of year, so that indicates underlying dryness still exists in parts of the Upper Midwest, the western Corn Belt region and, of course, extending back to the Great Plains.”

In contrast, once you get east of the Mississippi River, oat planting is behind average. The planting pace in Pennsylvania was 8 points behind average last week, and that was before more rain fell across the eastern half of the country last week.

“We’ve effectively sharpened that gradient, and we’ll see those delays in the eastern Corn Belt starting to multiply. For the most part, it’s going to be planters rolling in the Upper Midwest and the Great Plains, as we have seen a deficit of rainfall the past several weeks.”

Topsoil Moisture Map Shows Severe Dryness

Top soil moisture, week ending April 7, 2024

(USDA)

Rippey says it’s also a good idea to monitor USDA’s topsoil moisture map. The topsoil moisture in New Mexico is considered nearly 80% short to very short. In Kansas, nearly 60% of the top soil moisture falls in that category as well.

If you then look at areas considered to be in surplus, all of the Northeast and parts of the eastern Corn Belt have too much moisture.

Top soil moisture, percent surplus, week ending April 7, 2024

(USDA)

“The big storm a couple weeks ago, bringing that big stripe of moisture across the Midwest, pushed topsoil moisture numbers to 68% surplus in Ohio, 35% in Indiana,” Rippey says.

Dry Conditions Aid Rapid Planting Pace

For areas experiencing drier conditions, planting is clipping along at an impressive pace.

“Of course that is great for keeping the planter going, but we do need moisture for winter wheat and soon for those recently planted summer crops,” Rippey says.

Farmers across the western Corn Belt are deeply concerned about just how dry it is. As dust flies this spring, some farmers even argue the Drought Monitor doesn’t accurately portray the picture, as soil is starved for moisture this year.

“There are people out there who are saying, ‘Man, we’ve not recovered what we’ve lost incrementally over the past four years.’ Until we start to see some major moisture recovery deep down in our soil, we’re going to have that concern,” says Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Last fall, Snodgrass says 40% of the lower 48 states were experiencing some form of drought. That number has been cut in half. While the recent moisture helped alleviate some concerns in Wisconsin and Minnesota, he says there are other areas, such as Missouri and Nebraska, that are still extremely dry.

David Hula Says This One Mistake at Planting Can Cost You More Than 100 Bu. Per Acre in Yield

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:19:08 GMT

Planters are just starting to roll , but based on the forecast, it could be a big week for planting progress in some states.

What’s the key to growing big yields? According to the reigning National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) 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.

Hula, who farms in Charles City, Virginia, is known for growing big yields. His winning national corn yield last year was a whopping 623.8 bu. per acre .

He says there’s no magic bullet in producing big yields, but based on one of his field trials last year, it can be something as simple as making sure your planter is set perfectly, which includes making sure the closing wheel system is centered.

“One row actually was as low as 198 bushels [per acre]. That’s not bad. But on a 24-row planter, one row was 302 bushels per acre. So, we had 104-bushel difference between that and the other row,” says Hula. “Did one row get better weather? Absolutely not. The planter was not performing like it should.”

Related Story: Trace The Path: Spring Planter Setup Tips

Hula says he was with corn yield champion Randy Dowdy at the time, and as fast as Dowdy could walk from one row to the next, he diagnosed the problem.

“It was a closing wheel system that wasn’t centered,” says Hula. “So, growers really have to stop and check things out. But they’ve got to start knowing that it’s set.”

He says ensuring your closing wheel system is truly centered and the planter is set correctly are two crucial steps for planting.

“We hear Missy and Bill Bauer and Ken Ferrie talk about it . The gauge wheels, are they set right? And then with fertilizer, make sure each row is putting on the same amount of fertilizer,” says Hula.

Related Story: Old Made New: Transforming a Toolbar Into a High-Tech Corn Planter

Hula says many times a farmer wants to blame the weather, but sometimes it’s small mistakes that can cost big in lost yield.

“If a grower is striving for a 300-bushel-per-acre crop, he’s got to have a 300-bushel stand,” says Hula. “So if you get that first, then you just kind of let the plant tell you what it’s doing.”

Spring Planting Progress Off To A Good Start

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:19:33 GMT

It’s officially spring and many growers are gearing up to begin planting. But as most of the U.S. isn’t quite ready to put seed in the ground, one state is already off to the races.

According to USDA’s first weekly crop progress report of the season, Texas has already completed planting on 57% of corn acres.

Some growers in the state even report having completed their farm’s corn planting for the year.

Central Texas corn planting is in the books! #plant24 #JohnDeere #Dekalb #Pioneer #stillworkin #Melde™️ pic.twitter.com/qfw39Ye2KJ
— Denim Dyl (@Yo_Melde) March 8, 2024

Other states sharing corn planting progress include Illinois (1%), Kansas (2%), Kentucky (2%), Missouri (2%) and Tennessee (2%). Overall, the U.S. is 2% done planting corn acres — slightly ahead of the five-year-average of 1%.

One of the Illinois farmers already making progress shares his views from the field.

It’s time 🌱🌽 #plant24 pic.twitter.com/pBj86qODSj
— Dana (@deholmes_16) March 29, 2024

At the same time, another grower in Illinois reports much of his region is doing tillage in preparation for the main event.

Lots of tillage in central IL prepping for #plant24 and a little purple cover crop termination #HappyEaster pic.twitter.com/LNwkmp6QBW
— Kent Klingbeil (@klingbeil_ISU) March 31, 2024

Though it would delay getting in the field, many states are in need of rain before making more progress.

60 day % of normal rainfall.

Depends on where you’re at Ofcourse but several corn belt counties could use rain. #AGwx #plant24 https://t.co/p4PKRYOqYf pic.twitter.com/PEYaM0TZPv
— BAM Weather (BAMWX) (@bamwxcom) March 28, 2024

This Kentucky farmer shares a look at some of those dry conditions.

It’s GO TIME! #plant24 #dusty #alreadyneedarain 🤦🏻‍♂️#kyag365 #johndeere #tillage #notillnoskill pic.twitter.com/epC0z2Zi5E
— Kyle Zarate (@KZarate1081) April 1, 2024

Luckily, there’s good news in the forecast with significant rain ahead for a large part of the Corn Belt.

You’re reading these totals correctly.

High likelihood of a deluge of 💦 Sun thru Wed this week, a result of a stalled out warm front for days.

Shouldn’t be any #drought / dry soil talk around these parts for some time going forward now.#ILwx #INwx #OHwx #AGwx #Plant24 #OATT pic.twitter.com/SPsdzKRn9b
— Kirk 🇺🇸 Hinz | BAM ⚡️Weather (@Met_khinz) March 30, 2024

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