About This Episode
Chris Barron checks in with Dave Eidman, who farms at Mascoutah in St. Clair County, Illinois, about 30 miles straight east of St. Louis. Warm weather the previous week got anhydrous rolling for roughly three days, Monday through Wednesday, along with tillage and burndown on some fields but not all. Eidman had not heard of much corn going in yet. Ground was working well right up until an inch of rain arrived Wednesday night and Thursday, with more in the forecast.
Rotation is still in motion. Eidman had planned to stop fighting corn on corn, running a few less corn acres and a few more soybean acres. With conditions starting out good, he may put one or two fields back into corn on corn and back off beans instead. He says that with bean prices where they are and his location in southern Illinois, fighting the issue seems silly. He likes to be rolling hard from April 15 onward.
New crop basis at the local ADM is firm: corn is 12 over for October, 25 over for December and 20 over for January, with soybeans 20 over for October and 35 over for both December and January. Growers southwest of him in Monroe County, an area that runs early most years, already have corn planted. Eidman names solar farms as the other development in the area, and Barron closes on road safety given the traffic near the St. Louis metro.
“the key thing there for you guys and for everybody is when you're on the road with the machinery and equipment, it's safety is first and foremost for sure.”
— Chris Barron
Key Takeaways
Anhydrous ran about three days, Monday through Wednesday, before an inch of rain fell Wednesday night into Thursday.
Little corn had gone in around Mascoutah yet, though tillage and burndown were done on some fields.
Eidman planned fewer corn acres and more soybeans, but good early conditions have him reconsidering one or two corn on corn fields.
New crop corn basis at the local ADM: 12 over for October, 25 over for December, 20 over for January.
New crop soybean basis: 20 over for October and 35 over for both December and January.
Eidman targets April 15 and beyond to plant in earnest; growers southwest in Monroe County had already planted corn.
Full Transcript
Chris: Welcome to another episode of the Ag View Pitch, and we are doing another crop update here. We've got Dave Eidman from, uh, just east of St. Louis is the best way to describe it. Dave, how's it going today, and tell us exactly where you're located?
Dave
Eidman: Um, Mascoutah, Illinois, in St. Clair County.
Chris: Okay, about 30 miles straight east of St. Louis then.
Dave
Eidman: Pretty much, yes.
Chris: Gotcha. So tell us a little bit about what you're seeing in your area. You know, last week and the beginning of the week, we saw some pretty warm temperatures and guys got pretty itchy and things started rolling, and a few people sticking a few beans in the ground here and there and a little bit of corn here and there. What's it looking like in your area last week, and what do you, what are you seeing this week in our, in our vicinity here, there were some early beans that got planted.
Dave
Eidman: I haven't heard of much corn getting planted yet. And Hydrus is rolling pretty good for about 3 days there, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Tillage, tillage was done on some fields. Burn down was done on some fields, not all, but some. And it was a good start. At least the fields were working really well. We've had an inch of rain since then, a Wednesday night and Thursday, I guess it was supposed to get a little more rain today too. But, but next week looks good and I think we'll dry out pretty, pretty, pretty good and roll again next week.
Chris: Yeah. What, what in your area, what do you think in terms of the crop rotation? Are producers staying pretty, pretty true to what they normally do? You've seen a few more corn acres, a few more bean acres. What's that looking like?
Dave
Eidman: On my particular farm, I was going to not fight the issue of corn on corn and just— I'd have a few less corn acres and a few more bean acres. Now, lately here, since the conditions started out good, I may plant one or two fields corn on corn and back off my beans. But with the bean prices where they're at, And being in Southern Illinois, um, seems silly to fight the issue.
Chris: What's, what's the basis looking like? I mean, what's, what are your processors in the area bidding for?
Dave
Eidman: You want new crop?
Chris: Yeah, new, new crop basis levels, or what are you seeing there?
Dave
Eidman: October's $12 over, December's $25 over at ADM. Wow. January's $20 over. Yeah.
Chris: Okay, what about, what about soybeans?
Dave
Eidman: Uh, soybeans, uh, new crop soybeans are $20 over for October and $35 for December, $35 for January.
Chris: So you guys got some pretty good opportunities. As far as planting conditions, it sounds like your soil conditions, you've had some rain and stuff, things are in pretty good shape. When do you guys like to be rolling hot and heavy on planting? Is that what you're going to be Thinking a lot will go in this week as we start to warm up, or if we eventually warm up here?
Dave
Eidman: Um, right in here, at least I like to, I like to, you know, get rolling hot and heavy on the 15th of April and beyond. Um, some I have planned, I think some before that, but it's kind of a rare event. If you go southwest of here down to the Monroe County, they've already planted corn down there, but they're in a kind of a unique area that tends to be early every year.
Chris: Gotcha. Anything else exciting going on?
Dave
Eidman: Solar farms, I guess, is one exciting thing. If you want to call it exciting, I don't call it exciting, but if you want to call it that, you can.
Chris: Yeah, you're in an area down there that's kind of unique. I mean, you're just close enough to a lot of metropolitan area, and I know being down in that area with you guys. It's, uh, you guys deal with a lot of traffic and stuff. So I guess the, the thing, the key, the key thing there for you guys and for everybody is when you're on the road with the machinery and equipment, it's safety is first and foremost for sure.
Dave
Eidman: That's right, that's right.
Chris: Yeah. So, well, hey, really appreciate your time. And, uh, do you like to keep these short and just kind of see what, uh, weather's doing and what the soil conditions are looking like and, and how planting's going? So you be safe out there and take care.
Dave
Eidman: Thank you.
Chris: All right, thanks, Dave Eidman. And again, just about 30 miles total straight east of St. Louis, and really appreciate that today. And hopefully everybody has a good one, be safe out there, and we'll be back again with another crop update here real soon.