As farmers set out for the planting season, some might wonder how producers are feeling a year since the trade war began with China, which shrunk soybean prices and left some producers with bushels unable to trade.

ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist Mike Witt says producers in Guthrie County are eager to keep on schedule for spring planting. He says producers are “riding it out” this season, in which he’s not seeing much of producers switching from soybean to corn due to last year’s tariffs, “If they were on the fence between planting corn and soybeans, they probably shifted more of those acres towards corn but that wouldn’t be as significant. Most of the farmers that I’ve talked to are not liking soybean prices and not liking the situation at all, but understand that they can’t predict the situation and aren’t willing to change a lot of their rotation, and things they have established for soil fertility and better crop growth patterns just to chase an extra 50 cents. Some will on marginal ground that they don’t know what they’re going to plant every year, but the basic bulk is going to stay the same.”

Though Witt says producers are currently about a week behind last year’s schedule, advances in planters’ size and capabilities can make up a lot of time, as long as producers plan accordingly and ensure soil conditions are ready for fieldwork. You can hear more from Witt in today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on air and at raccoonvalleyradio.com.