#Plant2026 for Success
You’ve weighed the agronomics and the economics — and now the planter is rolling. The decisions don’t stop, though. The weather changes plans, equipment breaks and pests pop up. Every step plays a role in the success of your planting season as well as the growing and harvest seasons to come.
A planter maintenance expert offers a checklist to help ensure you’re properly prepping your planter for storage so that it emerges in good shape for planting next spring.
Row crop planting has picked up considerable steam over the last week with corn acres now at 80% complete and soybeans at 68%. Both crops are ahead of the five-year average.
Soybean planting crossed the halfway mark across the U.S, and the corn planting is 70% complete. The latest USDA Crop Progress Report shows farmers in parts of the U.S. made major headway over the past week.
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.
This week’s USDA Crop Progress report shows corn planting five percentage points (49% planted) behind average, while soybean planting has slowed to just a single percentage point ahead (35%).
You Can Now Blame El Niño and La Niña For the Extreme Weather Outbreaks, Planting Delays This Spring
From the slew of tornado outbreaks since late April, to more planting delays across the U.S., the extreme weather is caused by a combination of weather phenomena, including the quick switch from El Niño to La Niña.
Farmers are moving fast and furious in fields this week, trying to get crops in the ground. But Mother Nature is playing havoc with their best efforts. Ken Ferrie addresses six concerns to help farmers make progress.
A massive solar flare could disrupt satellite systems, including GPS, over the next several days. NOAA says it is the biggest threat since 2005 as experts tell farmers to keep an eye on equipment.
This week’s USDA Crop Progress report shows corn planting overall is currently three percentage points (36% planted) behind the five year average, while soybean planting is four points ahead (25%) of historic pace.
Heath Huisinga is always eager to investigate new tech for his farm in Casey, IL. This year, he’s using John Deere’s AutoTrac Turn Automation, which frees him to focus on the planter rather than on driving the tractor.