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Weather and economics could force some last minute planting changes

A southeastern Illinois farmer says he hopes to start planting around the first of April.  Jeff Scates, chair of the Illinois Corn Marketing Council, says weather and commodity prices will be the driving force as his farm considers any last-minute changes to their planting intentions. “We’ll look at numbers again,” he says.  “And figure that out.”

He tells Brownfield soil conditions have improved over the winter. “In my area, we were extremely dry until we slowed things down on that front with an ice storm,” he says.  “And then 3-4 inches of rain after that.  We’re pretty wet now, but we are drying out some.”

AUDIO: Jeff Scates, IL corn farmer

Mark Bunselmeyer farms about three hours northwest of Scates.  He says drought is already a concern heading into the planting season. “We have not had a lot of moisture over winter,” he says. “Tthat is always a concern with any farmer.”

He has most of his fields planned for this year, but he hasn’t ruled out any last-minute changes. “As it relates to one field in particular, we’ve looked at the economics of the corn price versus soybean price, we could always switch over and put it back in corn,” he says.  “Because of what we’ve done with fertility, it’s just getting that nitrogen on. And that’s something that we will continue to look at leading up to planting.”

AUDIO: Mark Bunselmeyer, Illinois corn farmer

Scates farms on the Illinois side of the Ohio River near the Illinois/Kentucky state line and Bunselmeyer farms near Decatur.

Brownfield interviewed Scates and Bunselmeyer during the 2025 Commodity Classic in Denver.