View from the Cab: Planting success

By: Kent Casson

In a few short weeks, we will be planting the seeds to success.

Let’s hope the 2021 growing season is a successful one with just the right amount of moisture and no severe storms to damage crops. Maybe this will be the year that is somewhat normal – who knows? After experiencing 2020 and even 2019, we don’t really know what normal is anymore.

Along with the start of spring comes March showers and that is what we have been seeing lately as we replenish the soil moisture. Markets were actually lower last week on the news of much needed moisture falling in certain parts of the nation which had been in drought only days before. The amount of soil dryness should diminish in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report.

Soil moisture problems are being alleviated throughout the Wheat Belt and in areas of the mid-South which had been dry. Also, there is more moisture occurring in Argentina and drier weather where it had been wet in Brazil.

“The weather is very much on top of things right now,” market analyst Wayne Nelson of L&M Commodities told me the other day.

The markets are now shifting their attention from the growing areas in South America to the Northern Hemisphere and how our season is taking shape. Planting progress in the United States will be the next big agricultural news item.

“It is going to take a good crop throughout the world to catch up to our shortfall in commodities we have right now,” said Nelson.

Those big USDA reports come out next week which will give us some insights on what farmers intend to plant this spring. If there are any surprises in the information, look out because the markets could have some extreme moves one way or another. Hopefully, these will be up moves and not in the other direction.

Remember, you can always get the latest market information weekdays around noon by viewing our brand new video segment known as the “CIFN Midday Update” from the Central Illinois Farm Network website or on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. This will be perfect for the busy farmer out in the field who wants a quick market snapshot during the day.