Filed under: Ag education, Ag promotion, cold, Corn, Farm, fertilizer, harvest, history, Minnesota, rain, science, seasons, snow, tillage, weather, winter | Tags: cold, Corn, farm, fertilizer, Minnesota, Soybeans, Weed control
The crops have been harvested, the machinery put away and the ground is frozen and covered with snow. It’s planning season.
Once the colder weather moves into Minnesota, crop farmers move into their shops and offices to review the past year and make plans for the coming year. Looking back at what worked well and what didn’t work so well helps us to fine tune our operation. It gives us a chance to look over test plot results and talk to other farmers about their experiences. We begin to make plans for the coming year.
Seed salesmen also know this is planning season. They begin their round of meetings and trips to customers farms to get orders for the next seasons seed. By now most seed people know what new seed varieties are available, what has done well, and what has not done so well. For those farm folks willing to try something new, now is the time to order your seed.
New seed varieties that have good potential are always in limited supply, and also higher priced. The choice of new seeds with greater yields, or older reliable varieties with lower prices is one that must be reconsidered every year. Changing tillage practices and emerging weed and pest problems must be considered along with soil type, fertilizer and herbicide prices, and rainfall amounts. Trends in crop prices and profitability may cause a farmer to plant more or less of a crop as he seeks to maximize yields. All of this is part of the consideration of what to plant next year.
Although a farmer may seem to be most busy when the growing season is in full swing, it is planning season that will make or break him. Planning season is the most important season of the year.
Michael
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