Indiana Farmers Still on the Fence Over Corn/Soybean Mix
While farmers wait for the weather to break to begin planting, some are still undecided about their final acreage mix. Growers undecided on what their mix of corn and soybeans will be is a trend we have seen throughout the winter. While many have increased soybean acreage again this year, as corn has flirted the $4 mark many are now leaning toward corn. Brian Bush, agronomist with DuPont Pioneer says, “All winter long, we have had customers talking about how they planned to lock in profits with soybeans, but how they would rather plant corn to get back into a more normal rotation.” Bush told HAT, despite the fact it is early April, some of those discussions are still being held, “With corn in the neighborhood of $4.00 many are considering a switch to corn. The final decision may not come for a few weeks as they wait to see what the market does and what the weather is like.” He added, if corn planting gets delayed, many growers in Southern Indiana will just go ahead and plant soybeans. While there is always a shift from planting intentions to what actually goes in the ground, this year that shift may be greater.
Another trend we are hearing more about this season is the use of Sulphur to boost yields. “There are some research results that indicate that 100 lbs. of AMS applied pre-plant per acre can boost soybean yields up to 8 bpa,” said Bush. He noted Purdue University has done some research in this area, and he has several research plots out this year, “We have customers looking to try something like that this year.”
Listen to the complete interview with Brian Bush
Listen to the complete interview with Brian Bush