#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 wide-open week with dry weather helped farmers make large strides in planting progress. USDA shows as of Sunday, May 2, 46% of the corn crop had been planted, a 29-point jump in just a week.
Drier weather helped aid major planting progress for U.S. farmers last week, but it didn’t help the topsoil moisture situation. USDA’s Crop Progress report indicates 55% of the U.S. topsoil is considered ‘adequate.’
Freezing temperatures, frost and cold weather are testing theories about the yield benefits of ultra-early planted soybeans. Agronomist Missy Bauer says soybeans are surprisingly hardy.
After several years of challenging weather, Ohio farmers are dodging snow and cold temperatures to put corn and soybeans in the ground. According to USDA, roughly 8% of those crops are now planted.
While corn and soybean prices continue to march higher, farmers are making progress getting the 2021 corn, soybean and cotton crops in the ground.
In the rush to get corn and soybeans in the ground, keep in mind some principles that can help your crops get a strong start this season.
Farmers will need to take into consideration the cover crop, timing, weather and stage of growth, says an Ohio seedsman.
Many commonly used herbicides are hard to find, and prices are trending higher. Fungicide availability may also be limited in some cases.
For the Horas, not much field work has danced across their Iowa soils so far. They planted a few acres this past weekend, but fieldwork has been minimal due to the cold and wet conditions this year.
USDA’s weekly Crop Progress Report started tallying soybean planting progress. In the first report of the year to include soybeans, USDA showed 3% of the soybean crop is planted, one point ahead of average.