Need More Cold Weather, Warmer Markets
Trent Brandenburg wants more cold weather to freeze the soil deeper and kill more overwintering insects. “We are having too many 40-degree days,” he observed. Trent noted, “Not much grain is moving,” due to lower market pricing. “Eventually, the owner has to be the seller,” Trent said, meaning grain being held by growers will come on to the market eventually.
Except for a few days of bitter cold, January has been relatively warm and wet. Measurable rainfall most days will eventually move through the frost layer and recharge the subsoil. The Illinois subsoil moisture measurements at Champaign at the 4-inch, 12-inch, and 20-inch levels have all returned to their highs of last Spring’s rainy spell from the serious drought conditions of August and September 2023.
More from The Field Report
Waiting For It To Dry Out
Trent Brandenburg got 1.5 inches of rainfall over Easter Weekend, so he is "waiting for it to dry out," to resume planting. He began planting last Tuesday, April 15. Trent estimated he has about a third of his corn and [...]
Shoveling Bins, Discing, and Waiting
Trent Brandenburg has been shoveling out the last contents of his grain bins to market the last of his stored grain. He has been able to do some discing to prepare for soybean planting. The windy days have been too [...]
A Warm and Wet Winter
Trent Brandenburg is getting ready to do some pre-season spraying. He is maintaining his machinery. Except for a burst of zero weather a week or so ago, the winter in central Illinois has been warm and wet. The soil moisture [...]