April 23, 2004

 

 

US Farmers Expect To Plant More Corn And Wheat, Fewer Soybeans

 

 

South Dakota farmers intend to plant 50,000 more acres of corn and 100,000 more acres of spring wheat this year, according to the state agricultural statistics service.

 

Soybeans, however, are expected to drop 150,000 acres from a year ago, the service said.

 

The lack of moisture in recent years may be one reason why farmers have moved away from soybeans, said Ron Gorder, president of the South Dakota Soybean Association.

 

"Three years of drought conditions may have caused part of that drop in beans. Hence farmers plant more corn because it can adjust better to the weather drought," he said.

 

An increasing number of ethanol plants may also contribute to the fact that farmers are turning to corn, said Gorder.

 

Lisa Richardson, executive director both the South Dakota Corn Council and the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, said farmers have adapted well to new technology and biotechnology.

 

As a result, the number of acres planted to corn will continue to climb, she said.

 

"We expect to see more corn acres in South Dakota during the next few years," said Richardson. "We're getting to the point where we can compete with farmers in Illinois and Iowa."

 

Despite advancements in technology, the weather remains the main force determining success or failure of crops, said Steve Cutler, state director for the Farm Service Agency.

 

"I've been a farmer for 30 years and have never gone into a spring without thinking of the weather," Cutler said. "From hybrid seeds and new machinery to all the remarkable advancements in the past 20 years, we still need the weather to cooperate in order to raise a good crop."

 

Cutler recently drove from Huron to Winner, and it rained the entire trip.

 

"That was as pleasant of a drive as I have had in a while," he said. "The winter wheat is growing, greening and looks good - it has a good start."

 

"I was in various parts of the state recently, and I'd say producers are guardedly optimistic about this season," he said.

 

"After four or five years of drought conditions, that starts to weigh on you with concerns over lingering drought."