US plantings still at a standstill, is time running out for corn?
From Brownfieldnetwork.com:
A pre-planting telephone tour Thursday found Midlands farmers hoping for better weather. But no one's panicking yet.
Of course, it's getting to be the time of year when farmers want to start getting some seed in the ground. But that probably won’t be happening over the next couple of days in the aftermath of a major spring storm. And that seemed to be the situation all across the Midlands.
Starting west and going east, Brownfield checked in with Marty Reznicek, who farms around 4,000 acres of corn and soybeans with his brother near North Bend, Nebraska. He said they would have like to have started planting by early next week, but will be sidelined until the weather improves.
"Well, it's wet right now and we were a little wet going into it," Reznicek said. "It's cold and we're just going to have to wait it out until conditions are right."
Some have suggested higher corn prices in recent days could spur farmers to plant a few more corn acres. Others have noted planting delays sometimes motivate producers to switch from acres from corn to soybeans. But according to Reznicek, neither of those factors are inspiring his family to change their planting intentions.
"No, we'll stick to the plan," said Reznicek.
Meanwhile, Reid Jensen, the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council President who farms in southeast South Dakota about 35 miles north of Sioux City, said many in his area would like to be planting by April 25th. But he noted that may be difficult unless some warmer temperatures arrive.
"I think the main thing is we need to start warming up - it's been so cold," Jensen said. "I was just talking to guy up on the South Dakota-North Dakota border and he still has frost in the ground, so it's just been a pretty cold spring."
Jensen told Brownfield he did hear some talk of switching to corn after USDA's Prospective Plantings report came out on March 31st. But he added that potential planting delays could change that.
And just a little northeast of Jensen, in Hawarden, Iowa, diversified ag producer Nate Ronsiek said he does indeed still have frost in his soil. Ronsiek explained he’d like to start planting by April 21st and the rains will help, though only if they’re followed by a warming trend.
"We really need the rain to firm some things up, and they're talking 70s and 80s, possibly, next week," Ronsiek said. "If we make it through getting the rain and snow and everything, we'll get some guys that'll be pretty anxious to get out there if we get those temperatures."
Ronsiek, a Golden Harvest seed dealer, said he has been approached by some farmers about switching some of their corn acres to beans, mainly because of the higher corn prices lately. And Ronsiek pointed out high quality corn hybrids and soybean varieties remain available, though he also said some popular corn and soybean seed numbers had sold out.
Finally, all the way across Iowa in Farley, Matt Heitz, a grain farmer and pork producer, said the after-effects of a tough winter may make it difficult for producers in northeast Iowa by April 25th. That's the latest date, according to Heitz, that many in his area are comfortable with, at least when it comes to corn planting.
"Well, I wouldn't say that it's out of the question, but it's looking tougher all the time," Heitz said. "One of the things that we see here is that we had so much snow drifted in some spots that you can be out in the field and it'll seem real good and then you go over the crest of the hill and you get a big, wet surprise."
And Heitz, President of the Board of Directors for the Three Rivers FS Company, said he believes acreage switching will be driven by the weather going forward. And if it doesn't dry out, he suggested more soybean acres may be the result.
"If we could get in and get the crop in the ground a lot of guys would probably go up a little more corn, perhaps," Heitz said. "And if it stays wet, I think they'll probably lean more towards beans."
A pre-planting telephone tour Thursday found Midlands farmers hoping for better weather. But no one's panicking yet.
Of course, it's getting to be the time of year when farmers want to start getting some seed in the ground. But that probably won’t be happening over the next couple of days in the aftermath of a major spring storm. And that seemed to be the situation all across the Midlands.
Starting west and going east, Brownfield checked in with Marty Reznicek, who farms around 4,000 acres of corn and soybeans with his brother near North Bend, Nebraska. He said they would have like to have started planting by early next week, but will be sidelined until the weather improves.
"Well, it's wet right now and we were a little wet going into it," Reznicek said. "It's cold and we're just going to have to wait it out until conditions are right."
Some have suggested higher corn prices in recent days could spur farmers to plant a few more corn acres. Others have noted planting delays sometimes motivate producers to switch from acres from corn to soybeans. But according to Reznicek, neither of those factors are inspiring his family to change their planting intentions.
"No, we'll stick to the plan," said Reznicek.
Meanwhile, Reid Jensen, the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council President who farms in southeast South Dakota about 35 miles north of Sioux City, said many in his area would like to be planting by April 25th. But he noted that may be difficult unless some warmer temperatures arrive.
"I think the main thing is we need to start warming up - it's been so cold," Jensen said. "I was just talking to guy up on the South Dakota-North Dakota border and he still has frost in the ground, so it's just been a pretty cold spring."
Jensen told Brownfield he did hear some talk of switching to corn after USDA's Prospective Plantings report came out on March 31st. But he added that potential planting delays could change that.
And just a little northeast of Jensen, in Hawarden, Iowa, diversified ag producer Nate Ronsiek said he does indeed still have frost in his soil. Ronsiek explained he’d like to start planting by April 21st and the rains will help, though only if they’re followed by a warming trend.
"We really need the rain to firm some things up, and they're talking 70s and 80s, possibly, next week," Ronsiek said. "If we make it through getting the rain and snow and everything, we'll get some guys that'll be pretty anxious to get out there if we get those temperatures."
Ronsiek, a Golden Harvest seed dealer, said he has been approached by some farmers about switching some of their corn acres to beans, mainly because of the higher corn prices lately. And Ronsiek pointed out high quality corn hybrids and soybean varieties remain available, though he also said some popular corn and soybean seed numbers had sold out.
Finally, all the way across Iowa in Farley, Matt Heitz, a grain farmer and pork producer, said the after-effects of a tough winter may make it difficult for producers in northeast Iowa by April 25th. That's the latest date, according to Heitz, that many in his area are comfortable with, at least when it comes to corn planting.
"Well, I wouldn't say that it's out of the question, but it's looking tougher all the time," Heitz said. "One of the things that we see here is that we had so much snow drifted in some spots that you can be out in the field and it'll seem real good and then you go over the crest of the hill and you get a big, wet surprise."
And Heitz, President of the Board of Directors for the Three Rivers FS Company, said he believes acreage switching will be driven by the weather going forward. And if it doesn't dry out, he suggested more soybean acres may be the result.
"If we could get in and get the crop in the ground a lot of guys would probably go up a little more corn, perhaps," Heitz said. "And if it stays wet, I think they'll probably lean more towards beans."