Stoller, others play the waiting game

GRIDLEY – Like everyone else, farmer Chris Stoller of Gridley has been in a holding pattern, waiting for the ground to dry and temperatures to warm before planting.
“We need warmer temperatures to do corn,” Stoller told The Central Illinois Farm Network late last week.
For each day that passes, Stoller is less worried about the cold weather. Stoller and many other farmers are reversing their planting order compared to several years ago as many are putting soybeans in the ground before corn. Stoller feels corn that is planted well into May can still have strong yields as long as it is managed correctly.
Stoller is concerned over the uncertain future of fertilizer prices.
“We are doing good this year but what is 2023 going to hold for fertilizer prices?”
Since his operation consists of strip till and no till, Stoller did not do any fall tillage last year, although he did put on more nitrogen last fall than ever before.
There is not much planting progress to report around the Gridley area in McLean County as most growers have just done minimal planting to make sure equipment is working properly.
“A coupe of bigger guys have started rolling quite a bit,” Stoller said.
With ground conditions not 100 percent just yet, Stoller felt good about his decision to put the planter back in the shed after a trial run out in the field last week.
Stoller sanded and polished an old set of chemical tanks which had sat in the previous owner’s barn for quite some time. The tanks, which are estimated to be around 40 years old, are now on a brand-new tractor.
“The stainless tanks really give it a good look,” Stoller noted.
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