“The Temperatures Have Been Wonderful for Early Crop Growth” Trent Brandenburg was happy to take a couple of minutes away from mowing grass to give us this update. Trent’s grass is growing as fast as his corn and soybeans. His planting went well; timely rains encouraged fast germination and a good start. Right now, Trent […]

Trent Brandenburg started planting corn this morning, April 23, 2018. The chilly, wet weather so far this month caused some concern about late planting. Trent usually begins planting corn April 20 if conditions permit, so he does not think he is very late. “It’s hit and miss,” Trent said, referring to the readiness of various […]

The big headlines about tariffs cause everyone in agri-business to fear that foreign countries who buy so much of American ag production will impose tariffs on us in retaliation. Trent is concerned about corn and soybean prices being driven lower by the impact of foreign tariffs on U.S. export sales. “After all,” Trent says, “the […]

Trent Brandenburg does not foresee any big corn and soybean market moves upward in 2018. He believes careful management to maximize yields will provide enough cash flow to maintain most farm businesses. A combination of low yields and lower prices will be challenging for operators paying very high cash rents.