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Decisions, decisions, decisions: Spring planting in Kansas
And this year with prices for corn, wheat, soybeans and other commodities at record levels - there's even more at stake.
For many farmers, though, long-term sustainability can be as important as cashing in on high prices. They have to take stock of their crop rotations, and decide whether they're flexible enough to switch crops.
In Howard, Kan., Mike Bellar will plant about 1,000 dry-land acres to soybeans this spring - a decision he made last fall.
Having already bought his soybean seed and fertilizer, Bellar said, he doesn't expect to adjust his acreage based on the grain markets. Instead, excessive spring rains would make it harder to get in the fields and might lead him to shift acres from corn to more soybeans.
"We had a dry fall going into a dry winter, and that kind of concerns me a little bit. We have very little sub-soil moisture," Bellar said
Bellar is contributing to a recent rise in Kansas corn and soybean acreage. Corn was planted on 4.85 million acres last year, up 750,000 acres from the previous year and at a level not seen since 1936. Soybeans occupied 4.3 million acres, a record for the crop in Kansas.
Kraig Roozeboom, an extension specialist with Kansas State University, said recent U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers point to decreased soybean acreage nationally but it's too early to tell in Kansas.
"I think there's still a need for rotational crops in our Kansas cropping systems, and I think the soybean acreage, if it does drop, won't drop very much," Roozeboom said.
In March, the Kansas Agriculture Statistics Service will survey farmers about their spring planting decisions. The national results, released on March 31, will likely influence commodity prices, affecting farmers and consumers alike.
The state's winter wheat farmers, who planted their crop last fall, are assessing their situation too. Kansas has seen an especially harsh winter, highlighted by frigid temperatures and little moisture.
The dirt furrows on Gary Millershaski's land outside Lakin, Kan., are light brown and move away easily as you walk through them. Large cracks have opened up in his fields, allowing the cold to run deep.
Millershaski is banking on about an inch of rainfall his land received last September to carry his 2,500 acres of dry-land wheat through the winter. If that moisture isn't enough and the wheat is damaged, tearing up the fields and planting another crop may be an option.
"Wheat is a very resilient crop, it's amazing what it can do and it's amazing what it doesn't do," said Millershaski. "Anybody who thinks they can predict if we have freeze damage or if we don't have freeze damage, they're luckier than I am."
Across Kansas, 8.8 million acres of winter wheat were planted last fall, the second lowest amount since 1957. Still, it was a 400,000-acre increase from plantings in fall 2009.
Kansas Wheat communications specialist Bill Spiegel said double cropping has helped numbers.
"In the fall of 2010 when this crop was planted a lot of farmers had harvested their soybeans so they were able to plant some wheat right after that and in a sense getting another crop in," Spiegel said.
Depending on how the spring weather cooperates, Millershaski may wait as long as May 1 to decide if he should ditch his wheat.
"Sometimes you're better off taking what's left instead of throwing it away and rolling the dice again," said Millershaski.
He said he'd be happy to meet his forty-bushel average again this year. And as he waits on the wheat to break, Millershaski may look to a higher power.
"Probably put a little bit more money in the offering plate and see if it brings you better luck," Millershaski said.
Visit www.HarvestPublicMedia.org for more. © Copyright 2012, hppr
(2011-02-18)
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GARDEN CITY, KAN.
(hppr) -
Farmers every year gamble on what to plant and how much land to devote to a particular crop.
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And this year with prices for corn, wheat, soybeans and other commodities at record levels - there's even more at stake.
For many farmers, though, long-term sustainability can be as important as cashing in on high prices. They have to take stock of their crop rotations, and decide whether they're flexible enough to switch crops.
In Howard, Kan., Mike Bellar will plant about 1,000 dry-land acres to soybeans this spring - a decision he made last fall.
Having already bought his soybean seed and fertilizer, Bellar said, he doesn't expect to adjust his acreage based on the grain markets. Instead, excessive spring rains would make it harder to get in the fields and might lead him to shift acres from corn to more soybeans.
"We had a dry fall going into a dry winter, and that kind of concerns me a little bit. We have very little sub-soil moisture," Bellar said
Bellar is contributing to a recent rise in Kansas corn and soybean acreage. Corn was planted on 4.85 million acres last year, up 750,000 acres from the previous year and at a level not seen since 1936. Soybeans occupied 4.3 million acres, a record for the crop in Kansas.
Kraig Roozeboom, an extension specialist with Kansas State University, said recent U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers point to decreased soybean acreage nationally but it's too early to tell in Kansas.
"I think there's still a need for rotational crops in our Kansas cropping systems, and I think the soybean acreage, if it does drop, won't drop very much," Roozeboom said.
In March, the Kansas Agriculture Statistics Service will survey farmers about their spring planting decisions. The national results, released on March 31, will likely influence commodity prices, affecting farmers and consumers alike.
The state's winter wheat farmers, who planted their crop last fall, are assessing their situation too. Kansas has seen an especially harsh winter, highlighted by frigid temperatures and little moisture.
The dirt furrows on Gary Millershaski's land outside Lakin, Kan., are light brown and move away easily as you walk through them. Large cracks have opened up in his fields, allowing the cold to run deep.
Millershaski is banking on about an inch of rainfall his land received last September to carry his 2,500 acres of dry-land wheat through the winter. If that moisture isn't enough and the wheat is damaged, tearing up the fields and planting another crop may be an option.
"Wheat is a very resilient crop, it's amazing what it can do and it's amazing what it doesn't do," said Millershaski. "Anybody who thinks they can predict if we have freeze damage or if we don't have freeze damage, they're luckier than I am."
Across Kansas, 8.8 million acres of winter wheat were planted last fall, the second lowest amount since 1957. Still, it was a 400,000-acre increase from plantings in fall 2009.
Kansas Wheat communications specialist Bill Spiegel said double cropping has helped numbers.
"In the fall of 2010 when this crop was planted a lot of farmers had harvested their soybeans so they were able to plant some wheat right after that and in a sense getting another crop in," Spiegel said.
Depending on how the spring weather cooperates, Millershaski may wait as long as May 1 to decide if he should ditch his wheat.
"Sometimes you're better off taking what's left instead of throwing it away and rolling the dice again," said Millershaski.
He said he'd be happy to meet his forty-bushel average again this year. And as he waits on the wheat to break, Millershaski may look to a higher power.
"Probably put a little bit more money in the offering plate and see if it brings you better luck," Millershaski said.
Visit www.HarvestPublicMedia.org for more. © Copyright 2012, hppr
