Planting A Profit

Choosing what to plant this year is difficult. You would think it would just be automatic but that isn't so.


Corn has always been king in our country. Native Americans taught us that.


Then the world needed more protein and soy was introduced to our country from Asia. This year the US harvested as many acres of soy in this country as we did corn. I have friends who don't own a corn head or a grain bin. South America has grown to our equal in raising soy.


Wheat was king in Europe, where many of our farm people came from. It fit their growing conditions.




Those settlers brought wheat and barley and rye and spelt to our region. Those were all grown in their homeland.




One of the neatest pictures I ever seen was one of Grandpa George driving an International 8-16, pulling a McCormick wheat binder. The picture was taken in the summer of 1920. Aunt Florence is on the back running the tie that holds the shock together and dad is about 5 years old, smiling, as usual beside grandpa.



In those years our family planted in a five year rotation. Corn, wheat overseeded with clover and cut as hay for three years.

I think I will just stick to my crop rotation of corn, soybeans and wheat. Every farmer I talk to is concerned about our market situation and what to plant.

Farmers feed the world but we sure can't control it.

Ed