About This Episode
Recorded May 5, 2021, Chris Barron catches Zach Paulman in the cab as he starts his first circle of popcorn in western Nebraska. All the yellow corn in his area is in the ground. Paulman is about halfway through his soybeans, with the wider area closer to 25 to 35 percent. An inch and a half of rain the prior week plus another three tenths on Sunday shut planting down for a couple of days but left conditions he describes as planting beautiful.
The popcorn detail is the substance here. Paulman has about 2,500 acres to plant. He runs the same corn seed plate, plants at two inches and has shallowed up because moisture sits half an inch down. Populations run 28 to 34 on irrigated ground and drop to 14 to 16 on dryland, which he calls a genuinely unique dryland crop. Fertility is the real difference: popcorn buyers do not want much synthetic input, so the program changes dramatically.
On rotation, Paulman sees almost no corn on corn despite a corn-bean ratio that favors corn, with rotated acres going back to corn and corn ground back to soybeans. Basis stays weak in his area even as futures climb, though his father found corn for the feedlot bid at 80 over the board. Parts availability from the dealer is a real constraint, and he expects to be finished with soybeans and popcorn by the following Friday.
“Not a lot of corn on corn out here, Chris. Everybody is sticking to their rotation.”
— Zach Paulman
Key Takeaways
About 2,500 acres of popcorn to plant, going in on the same corn seed plate at two inches, shallowed slightly because moisture is only a half inch down.
Popcorn populations run 28 to 34 on irrigated ground and 14 to 16 on dryland, where Paulman says it performs as a genuinely different crop.
The fertility program for popcorn changes dramatically because consumers do not want much synthetic input in it, unlike yellow corn.
All the yellow corn in his area was planted; his own soybeans were about 50 percent done against a local average closer to 25 to 35 percent.
Very little corn on corn despite a corn-bean price ratio favoring corn; growers in the area held their rotations.
Basis remains weak locally even as futures rally, though his dad was quoted 80 over the board trying to buy corn for the feedlot, and John Deere parts were nearly impossible to get.
Full Transcript
Chris
Barron: Welcome everybody to another episode of the Ag View Pitch and a crop update. Today we've got Zach Paulman with us, and you are out in the field planting as we speak, it sounds like. How's it going?
Zach
Paulman: Uh, going really good, really, really good. Got some, got some about an inch and a half of rain last week, and, and now we got another 30 hundredths on Sunday, and on the strip till, everything's going real nice. Planting beautiful.
Chris
Barron: Awesome, that sounds good. So how's planting going to this point? So we're recording this here on essentially May 5th, which, um, we're headed into right now. So what, what's it look like as far as how far along you are and what are you planting, corn, soybeans, or where are you at?
Zach
Paulman: Uh, all the corn's in the ground, uh, and that's pretty much true in the general area. Everybody got rolling pretty good. Soybeans, I would say We're personally about 50% done on soybeans, but I would say it's probably a little lower than that around the area just in general. But everybody's kind of wrapping up corn. There's a lot of specialty crops in western Nebraska, so people are kind of just getting into gearing up to start planting those types of crops— popcorn, edible beans, those kind of things. But most of the yellow corn's in around here, and the soybeans, I'd about Oh, probably 25 to 30, 35%, I'd say, are in the ground.
Chris
Barron: Okay, so you talked about specialty crops. You guys do a lot of popcorn. Where are you at there? Are you getting ready to roll on that?
Zach
Paulman: Literally putting my first field in the ground as we speak. I got about 2,500-ish acres to plant of popcorn, and as we speak, I'm putting the first circle in the ground.
Chris
Barron: So awesome, 2,500 acres, that's a lot of popping.
Zach
Paulman: Yeah, it is. It's enough.
Chris
Barron: Yeah, that's awesome.
Zach
Paulman: So, uh, it is.
Chris
Barron: Well, tell me, tell me about the planter settings with popcorn. That sounds kind of interesting.
Zach
Paulman: About identical to corn. I'm still running the corn seed plate. The fertilizers change pretty dramatically because people that consume popcorn really don't want a whole lot of synthetics in there. Kind of a, kind of a family secret, if you will.
Chris
Barron: Yep, well, we won't tell that one.
Zach
Paulman: Um, everything, everything's working great. Uh, just literally, I have 5.4 acres planted. You just caught me right when I was loading up and getting started, and so there's no beeping yet, so I'm assuming everything's working.
Chris
Barron: That's good. So what, uh, what population do you plant popcorn at?
Zach
Paulman: Uh, 28 to 34 on irrigated, and we'll drop her down to 14 to 16 on the dry land.
Chris
Barron: Hmm, interesting.
Zach
Paulman: It's actually a pretty unique crop on the dry land.
Chris
Barron: Yeah, planting depth about the same, 2 inches-ish?
Zach
Paulman: Yep, 2 inches. And, and with the rains we've had, I mean, we got moisture half inch down, so we've even shallowed up just to take care from, from there just to try and get this stuff out of the ground and going.
Chris
Barron: So you guys are sitting really good on moisture, western Nebraska. How's the rest of the state sitting on moisture?
Zach
Paulman: Pretty good, I think. I haven't heard honestly too much. I know west of me yet up in the Scottsbluff area has been getting the same rains that we've been getting. I can't speak to eastern Nebraska. That's a lot closer to Iowa than I care to be, but I don't— I think Iowa is pretty dry, isn't it, Chris?
Chris
Barron: We're— yeah, we— the other day we had a little more than enough to settle the dust in, in some of our fields, and then we had some other areas that got about 3/10. And I know there were some pockets in central Iowa that got anywhere from 0 to 3 inches. And so it's either the have or the have-nots, it seems like.
Zach
Paulman: So, um, yeah, we were damn near shut down for 2, 2 and a half days because of rain. I mean, we got an inch and a half and then got another 40, and I mean, kind of some timely rains, but it was right in the middle of planting. Everybody was trying to rock and roll around here and really getting the field going hard. About the time everybody did, it just kind of rained and shut us down for a day or two, which was nice because getting parts from John Deere is about impossible. Yeah, yeah, I gave everybody a chance to catch up.
Chris
Barron: Yep, yeah, getting parts is pretty tough right now. That's one, one big issue for sure. Um, On crop rotations in your area, do you think anybody did any big changes? I mean, is there more corn? I mean, the corn market's really advocating for, um, you know, bushels. I mean, it's really the way the market's been relative to soybeans. And not that the soybean prices are bad, but the corn price, uh, corn-bean ratio has been advocating for corn. Do you see any acres shifting more to corn, or pretty much everybody staying about the same in your area?
Zach
Paulman: Not a lot of corn on corn out here, Chris. Everybody is sticking to their rotation. I mean, it's, you know, they're, they're— the corn market looks good, but man, so does the soybeans, right? Right. And get them in. The early guys are still getting them in early. It's all the rotated acres are going back to corn, and most of the corn fields are going back to soybeans around here.
Chris
Barron: Awesome. So, um, what, what are you seeing on the, on basis, on, on the processors? Are they pretty hungry for stuff yet and trying to get things? Basis levels pretty strong, or what's that look like?
Zach
Paulman: Well, I— so I know, uh, Dad tried to buy some corn for the feedlot the other day, and they were bidding $80 over the board. Wow. So if that tells you anything of what's going on, uh, harvest delivery— I just sold some beans and corn, uh, we were— which our basis kind of just stinks out here anyway, Chris. You know, you and I have had plenty of conversations about that. But basis on new crop beans, I told Tom the other day and I think it was $65. So, okay, everything, it's just kind of maintaining. The price keeps going up, but the basis levels are kind of hanging about where they do.
Chris
Barron: Yeah, well, these prices have definitely been kind of crazy, and volatility is probably yet to continue for sure. So anything else cooking out there? Um, how many more days or how long before you think you'd be wrapped up?
Zach
Paulman: Oh, I hope by next Friday I got everything in the ground, soybeans and popcorn. So like I say, all the yellow corn's in the ground, and that's kind of true around the area. There's some guys wrapping up around here, but most guys have switched back over to the specialty stuff. But I hope by next Friday I'm all wrapped up and done.
Chris
Barron: Okay, so you're, you're easily be done before the 10th, which is kind of a target for a lot of, a lot of people in your area probably, isn't it?
Zach
Paulman: Yep, yep. There's a lot of guys that are done. There's some really big farmers around here that are done done. They're done with corn, soybeans, the whole nine yards.
Chris
Barron: Hmm, wow, that's awesome.
Zach
Paulman: Type guys that don't mess around.
Chris
Barron: Do you see anything up yet?
Zach
Paulman: No, no, there is no—
Chris
Barron: okay, awesome.
Zach
Paulman: Nothing out of the ground yet.
Chris
Barron: Awesome. Well, hey, um, this has been a great update. Um, really appreciate your time. I appreciate you, uh, paying attention to the planter and making sure the popcorn's going in the ground while you're chatting here. And we'll be back in touch again sometime. And again, thanks a lot, Zach. Appreciate it.
Zach
Paulman: Sounds good.
Chris
Barron: Thanks, Chris. You bet. Zach Paulman planting popcorn in western Nebraska. Thanks everybody for listening. We'll catch you with another crop update in the Ag View Pitch next time. Thanks.