#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.
Matt McCarthy just started planting this week. He kicks off our Plant Your Independence Tour. Our team will follow 6 Midwestern growers through the planting season and make a stop at a different farm each week.
Irrigation experts explain how tracking daily “deposits and withdrawals” can prevent costly watering mistakes and protect yields during critical growth stages.
Purdue’s Dan Quinn explains how using strategies like moisture-seeking planting and the critical N:S ratio are keys to higher yields.
He says a simple ratchet strap and an open-furrow diagnostic strategy help him achieve the best planting depth and seed germination.
Ken Ferrie offers practical steps to salvage your yield potential if you’ve been affected by heavy rains and seed quality issues.
Agronomist Eric Beckett shares strategies for managing tillage, product applications and budgets despite what’s shaping up to be a dry and potentially windy spring.
USDA’s March 2026 Prospective Plantings report produced no major surprises, but the bigger story may be the fact only 37.6% of farmers responded, the lowest participation in history for that survey.
Corn falls to 95.3M acres (-3%) while soybeans rise to 84.7M (+4%). Wheat hits a record low 43.8M acres (-3%) and cotton climbs to 9.64M (+4%).
Understanding how and when corn reacts to nutrient stress can help you make every pound of N earn its keep this season, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
He finds that having fewer, well-managed plants in the field can outperform a denser stand of beans.