Corn
Both crops get a green light for planting this Wednesday and maybe even for Tuesday in central Illinois. Ferrie says let soil conditions, moisture and local weather forecasts drive your planting and tillage decisions.
Cutworm and armyworm moths are on the move, looking to lay eggs. Wireworms, grubs, flea beetles, gophers and voles are also looking to take up residence in your fields. Act now to stop them.
The weather forecast shows more farmers could start planting next week, and as farmers hit the fields, analysts want farmers to not lose sight of marketing opportunities during their busiest time of year.
USDA’s reports showed some surprises last week, including tighter than expected stocks. If China continues to buy corn, analysts say it creates even tighter old crop stocks, but if China quits buying, prices could drop.
Farmers in Iowa and parts of Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and South Dakota are in the “red zone” for CRW pressure this season.
With the impending snowstorm in the upper Midwest and Northern Plains, it may seem like the 2023 planting season will be off to a slow start. However, in states like Illinois and Missouri, planting has already started.
Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie says there’s a lot of value in the concept of “start clean and stay clean” for full-season weed control. He shares some advice as farmers prepare for planting this year.
The expansion would add 1,255 counties for soybeans and 1,729 counties for corn, making the coverage available in 22 states for soybeans with 34 states being covered in total.
USDA’s 2023 Prospective Plantings report released March 31 shows farmers intend to plant significantly more corn acres in 2023. At nearly 92 million acres, that’s a jump of 3.42 million acres from last year.
More ears at harvest is the key to higher yield. That requires starting with a picket-fence stand with photocopied plants, achieved by adjusting your planter as conditions change from field to field and within fields.