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Could a dry planting season repeat 2023?

An agronomist says the fading El Niño weather pattern will likely coincide with an early planting season.

Mitch Roth tells Brownfield the warm, dry conditions in the northern U.S. might be ideal for fieldwork, but, “It can also be problematic if it stays dry.”

“Germination can be poor and some of our residual herbicides that require some water to activate fail to activate,” he says. “There was some experience of that last year as well.”

He says drier conditions make fields more susceptible to some pest and diseases.

“For instance, the soybean cyst nematode, one of the number one pest pressures in soybeans, can finish its life cycle and go from egg to adult to egg in a much shorter time frame when conditions are warmer,” he shares.

Roth covers the eastern U.S. for Farmers Business Network where he says the trend to plant soybeans before corn continues to increase.

A recent analysis by FBN is projecting higher corn, wheat, and soybean yields because of El Niño, while rice yields are expected to slightly decrease.

AUDIO: Mitch Roth, Farmers Business Network