Farmers are getting into fields sooner each year, resulting in higher yields

If current trends hold, farmers will be able to get into their fields early in 2021.

Iowa State University Extension field agronomist Rebecca Vittetoe said planting dates are getting earlier each year as the Midwest experiences milder winters due to changes in the climate.

She said farmers are getting into their fields early because research has shown that giving their crops more time in the field leads to improved yields.

The calendar isn't the only thing that affects when farmers decide to put seed in the ground. They have to worry about the soil conditions. One of the important conditions is soil temperature. The general rule of thumb is that the soil 4 inches deep has to be 50 degrees and warming for corn, and 55 degrees and warming for soybeans.

Another thing to watch for is soil moisture. Vittetoe said eastern Iowa is sitting better than western Iowa in terms of moisture, and that could mean that eastern Iowa will have a better crop than western Iowa next year, but it's still early. Vittetoe recalled that the spring of 2019 was terrible for farmers because it delayed them getting into their fields.

Corn and bean production in Iowa is estimated to be lower than it was a few years ago, according to the November crop report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Corn production in Iowa peaked at 2.7 billion bushels in 2016, with the expected yield for 2020 at 2.3 billion bushels. Soybean production has taken a similar path, peaking around 2017 at just more than 550 million bushels but falling to an estimated 500 million bushels this year.

While production has dipped in recent years, the resulting shortage appears to be causing a rise in price. The USDA report seeks to estimate the price of corn and beans in 2021. Corn is now about $3.56 per bushel while beans are $8.57. The USDA estimates both crops will rise in price next year, corn to $4 per bushel and beans to $10.40.

Vittetoe said she expects farmers to continue rotating corn and soybean fields.

Rotating crops has a few advantages, one is that it can break up pest cycles since pests can linger in the soil, but tend to only affect one crop or the other and not both. Another reason is that rotating crops increases yields because having a variety of organic matter improves soil health.

At times, farmers will plant corn on top of a field that just had corn. Vittetoe said those are often farmers who need it for silage to feed their livestock.

Corn and soybeans figure to remain the dominant crops in the state for the foreseeable future, but Vittetoe said she sometimes gets questions for farmers looking for a third option. Sometimes livestock producers will plant alfalfa, which is cheaper to feed to their animals than having to buy grain.