Be Proactive
By Mike Carlson, Grain Department Manager
Happy Easter everyone!! While last week didn’t even come close to resembling spring weather I think we can get cautiously optimistic that this was the last of the white stuff for the year. The forecast for the next couple weeks looks pretty favorable so let’s keep our fingers crossed that once we can get in the field we’ll have smooth sailing through May and beyond!
From a grain market standpoint I wish I had more positive news. The hangover from the March 29th stocks and acreage report just won’t go away as futures continue to chop around down here at these lower levels searching for some fresh news to break out of the range. Global supplies are seen to be rising so any little spike in price is met with heavy selling. Locally, corn basis levels are as strong as I can ever remember seeing them for this time of year as the end users are having a hard time generating movement due in part to the lethargic futures market but primarily to the logistics nightmare as the recent flooding has made so many of our roads unpassable. This is making it difficult if not impossible to deliver. From an export picture, basis levels don’t look as exciting for neither corn nor beans as we are in the time of year where we face stiff competition from South America. Just this week the U.S. missed out on a 65,000 tonne corn sale as we were 30+ cents too high on the offer. That business likely comes out of Brazil.

It’s during times like these when the markets are less than friendly that it’s more important than ever to have a sound marketing plan. As previously mentioned, any little rally is met with heavy selling so anyone that has grain to sell needs to be proactive with having targets in mind and the offers in place to execute on those price targets. Here at Central Farmers we have the tools to assist your grain marketing needs and we are in the process of adding more. Please contact any one of our originators and let us help you navigate these turbulent markets.
Ducks in a Row
By Cody Plamp, Agronomist, Marion/Dimock
WET WET WET!! This tends to be the talk in many areas this spring. With the wet weather pushing our spring back it will be crucial to have all our “Ducks in a Row” for when Mother Nature allows us to get in the fields. Fertilizing, spraying, and planting may all happen at once this year.
With that being said we all need to be organized so you and your agronomist can be as productive as possible. Making sure your agronomist has your farm plan set up, along with field maps, will be essential for fertilizing and spraying so he or she can get your acres on the books.

Being smart about not planting in too wet of soil will also be key. Some producers may feel the need to do some sort of tillage to dry the soil out and help warm the soil up. Unfortunately, tilling wet soil is one of the primary causes of soil compaction. It tends to be that when wet soils are tilled clods may be formed which makes for a terrible seed bed, and an additional tillage pass will be needed to break them up. I don’t foresee anyone having time to do an extra pass of anything this spring. BE CAUTIOUS OF FIELD CONDITIONS.

I also foresee heavy weed pressure early when we start to get some sun and dry out. This year a pre-herbicide for your crop will be more crucial than ever. Talk with your agronomist about different pre-emergent herbicide options. I hope everyone has a safe and productive spring.