Machinery and Tile Repairs While Awaiting Warmer Weather
Trent Brandenburg is enjoying the first day of Spring finishing up some machinery repairs. His fieldwork right now involves fixing broken field tiles and clearing waterways to ensure good drainage during the crop year. Trent has not started serious field work to begin planting yet. “It’s too cold,” he said. He wants a warmer soil temperature in order to get quick germination when he sows his corn and soybean seed.
Trent does not plan any changes in his planting or in his crop protection investment this year. Despite farm publications observing
cutbacks in crop protection chemical purchases, Trent does not plan any cuts. “You shoot yourself in the foot,” he said. “You gotta have a crop to sell,” even when the market price is low.
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 [...]