100-Dollar-Ideas

In 1983 for the first time, planted soybean acres surpassed corn acres by 3.5 million acres. Some market analysts thought 2017 would be another year this would happen, but it didn’t.

Between October and November 47% of farmers will make their corn hybrid purchase decisions for 2018. That makes this two-month period the No. 1 seed buying time of the year, according to our annual Farm Journal Seed and Planting Survey. During our 2017 survey, you said the three most important factors for buying a seed brand are, in this order: consistency of performance (39%); yield (31%) and retailer relationship (14%). You rank price—at a mere 5%—as the fourth- most important factor (based on 535 responses).

These estimates are based on assumptions for normal weather through September.

The latest Crop Progress report from USDA-NASS shows declining conditions for corn and soybean crops, and delayed corn maturity.

Official Day 4 results from the Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour.

Official Day 2 results from the Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour.

Official Day 2 results from the Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour.

Official Day 3 results from the Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour.

The third day of the 2017 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour featured scouts sampling fields along 12 designated routes from Bloomington, Illinois Iowa City, Iowa.

Day three of the Farm Journal Crop Tour had our group running north of Bloomington IL deadheading 20 miles north to start sampling. We then moved through counties going north and then straight west where we crossed the IA border at the Quad Cities. We sampled Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Henry and Rock Island on the IL side of the border and picked up samples in Scott, Clinton and Cedar on the IA side.