Trent’s Christmas List – Better Prices, Warmer Temps

Trent’s Christmas List – Better Prices, Warmer Temps
The first two items on Trent Brandenburg’s Christmas List for 2016 are: better crop prices and warmer temperatures. With the between-seasons farmer optimism, Trent is looking forward to starting another crop year. Although soybeans are more profitable than corn right now, he does not plan to change his rotations. Corn-on-corn incurs more input expenses for fertilizer and disease control. The disease issues are suppressed in a corn-bean rotation.
Trent sees no major changes in planning his crop inputs of seeds and chemicals for the new crop year. He continues to study marketing strategies to enhance his operating return during the current period of low prices. Most trade predictions see the low prices lasting for another two years at least.
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 [...]