Looking Back At 2015, Ahead To 2016
December 2015 Field Report
A Wet Ending to 2015
Trent Brandenburg is happy to recall the excellent spring and harvest weather and work progress during 2015. Yields were “very good”, Trent observed, just not quite up to 2014 levels. Market prices, on the other hand, weren’t good. The unusually dry fall helped corn dry in the field, thus saving drying expenses at the grain elevator.
Looking ahead to 2016 after several days of record-breaking rainfall and record flood levels in Central Illinois, Trent recalls that warm, wet winters are often followed by hot, dry summers. Trent wryly speculated that a hot, dry summer might reduce yields so much that crop insurance would provide more revenue than the grain market. Trent thinks it’s good that the ground is not frozen.
He held off applying fertilizer in the fall because of the dry soil. Thus he escaped the leaching loss of that fertilizer from the heavy rain, ponding, and flooding of the past few days.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year from Brandenburg Farms.
More from The Field Report
From Drought To Ponding And Replanting
In barely months, Trent's challenges have gone from extreme drought to repeated ponding and replanting. Trent has replanted some corn and soybeans twice, only to have the ponding return yet again. "I don't think I will try to replant corn [...]
Corn And Soybean Planting Done, Some Germinated, More To Come
Trent Brandenburg is happy to have completed his corn and soybean planting by the 15th of May. "It's slow," he said, commenting on the germination delay by the recent cool temperatures. Moderately heavy rains the last few days have caused [...]
Worked Some Fields, With A Sunny Day Could Begin Planting
Trent Brandenburg has "worked a couple of fields, they're barely ready" after several days of rain last week. "If we get a sunny day tomorrow I could plant some," Trent continued. The long-standing extreme drought in central Illinois has been [...]